Dancing Winds
by DSaph
Summary: Madara kidnaps Temari during the fourth shinobi war because of her battlefield bravado. He asks Temari for a dance but not the kind he's known for. Temari's living a strange existence dictated by Madara. Gaara and the Allied Forces are still trying to win the war.
1. Prologue

**Author's Note:** You can assume everything is happening as it does normally unless I say it doesn't. This story starts in the anime episode #323

This is definitely a story with adult themes and some scenes may have to go on a different site.

This is all in fun so I hope no one gets upset by anything I write. I hope you enjoy it!

I got this idea after reading a story called "Madara's Conquest" by Marquise de Nile. It's really good._  
_

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that's already somebody's

_Italics are used for inner monologues and thoughts._

* * *

Naruto's clone was at his limit as the five kage promised him that they would be able to win the battle with the reanimated Uchiha Madara.

The kage were confident, but Temari couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that haunted her.

She was so thankful that she was in the same division as Gaara and able to look after him. But as grateful as she was, she did not think that she could handle watching this dead Uchiha seriously hurt or kill her little brother. Her arm was barely hurt from the falling asteroids but she found that her grip on it tightened the more she contemplated Gaara's fate. She had a hard time letting go of that arm and of Gaara.

Temari heard the guys behind her take off after the fragmented Lord Mu and decided that she too needed to go do something useful. She decided on rounding up the rest of the fourth division. With the Kazekage very preoccupied and Shikamaru elsewhere, this task fell to her.

First she wanted to find Matsuri and Yukata. Temari didn't exactly know why but she could feel a bond developing with them. She wouldn't go so far as to call them friends but she appreciated them for the girls they were.

She also owed them back for trying to embarrass her about Shikamaru. "An intelligent guy" her foot, she knew who they were talking about, and Temari planned on setting them straight. Sure, he's intelligent and kind of handsome, but she definitely didn't like him like that.

This is war and there is no time for those kinds of thoughts or that kind of behavior. If she caught anyone around her behaving in that manner she would be sure to give them a piece of her mind. She found an area with scattered shinobi, "All right, everyone. If you're alive, look it! We may not be in the main fight right now but we need to be ready to give support at a moment's notice."

The Iwa nin closest to Temari, named Ikuo, cringed and thought, _I really can't stand that woman. Her attitude, her voice, everything about her is annoying.__ I still can't believe I'm in her division when this time last year I was chasing her through a mountain pass. I don't mind fighting with all of the other nations, but some people should have been left at home. Everyone else seems OK with her though so I'd better keep my thoughts to myself._

If he technically wasn't the next in charge after her, Ikuo would have hidden beneath a rock just to get away from Temari. He told her that he and the others nearby would assemble all those they could find alive and meet her back here.

As he walked off, he turned back around to confirm how long they would look when he saw a blur and she was gone. Ikuo knew Temari couldn't even _appear_ to travel that fast without her fan out._  
_

"Is something wrong, Ikuo?" Ikuo shook his head at the Kumo nin next to him. There was no way he was going to look this gift horse in the mouth, and he raced off to look for survivors with a renewed vigor.

* * *

**A/N: **I'm looking for a beta reader. If you're interested let me know. I'd really like someone who can correct my grammar and character depictions.

Thanks for reading! Any feedback would be appreciated.


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: **I hope I'm taking this story in the right direction. I wrote most of it out and then decided to go a completely different way. This is the completely different way.

_Thoughts are in italics._

* * *

Temari woke prone on a cold hard floor feeling heavy and slow. Sick and disoriented, she couldn't seem to get her bearings. It didn't help that her surroundings were completely dark.

She reached out around her and felt nothing. There was nothing to feel but the ground. She tried to use all of her senses. She smelled the air and it reeked of earth. It wasn't the rich moist smell of soil or the arid smell of the desert. It was almost dank.

She could hear faint rumbles but she couldn't tell where they were coming from in her disoriented state.

"It would be nice to have some lights around here." Nothing happens and she wonders why she tried in the first place. She can't sense anyone else around, so she sits back down and starts to think.

The only thing accomplished by putting her in this abyss, that she could see, was that she was no longer on the battlefield. She tried to focus on who might not want her up there and why. She was not in the main battle against Madara or Lord Mu so it probably wasn't one of them.

Temari wasn't even sure if anyone would notice she was gone right away.

_Someone must have figured this was the perfect chance to dispose of me. I do have a few people who don't like me. They probably couldn't take me very far without being missed; trying to set up some kind of an alibi._

Temari started to talk out loud. The silence was becoming deafening and it helped to calm her anxiety about the situation. "They're trying to put me through some sort of sense deprivation. Well, I have news for-"

A gentle rumble surrounded her and a soft light filled the room. After her eyes adjusted she stood up and looked around. The first thing she scanned for was her fan, but it wasn't there.

"Am I in someone's home?"

She could tell that she was underground because of the faint intermittent rumbles that she could now tell came from above and because the ceiling was covered with sprawling roots. The walls were all rough stone and there were more than a few doors.

Against one side was a kitchen area with a western style dining table. Further towards the center of the room was a sitting area. There are a couple of couches and arm chairs that look crudely made from tree trunks along with a stone coffee table. There is a lot of empty space all around. It seemed like a man-made underground cavern.

There were six large rounded wooden doors and she tried opening them all. One opened to a long hallway with four more locked doors on one side that ended in a dead-end. She made her way back to the big room and decided to feel against the walls for an opening anywhere. She found nothing.

Temari started thinking of a way to get out of there. She didn't know how deep underground she was, so that left her with few options that would not result in a cave-in.

She went back over to the locked doors and tried to kick them in. They hardly budged. The doors were somehow reinforced and after a few kicks, punches, shoulder throws, and wind blades nothing was happening.

If she couldn't get out, she needed to get a message out. She tried summoning Kamatari or another one of her weasels, but absolutely nothing happened. She tried it three times and just felt drained by the end of it.

"Where the hell am I?" she mumbled to herself.

"You're here." Temari jumped back and turned to see a White Zetsu clone smiling at her.

"Stay back."

The clone slunk into the floor and projected his voice out. "There's no reason to attack me. I'm here to help you."

"Yeah right. Just like you helped at The Kage Summit and like you've been helping the alliance on the battlefield. I don't think so you clone freak." Temari jumped on the dining table and stayed alert to her surroundings.

"That wasn't too nice. There was no need to call me a freak. From the looks of it, I'm the only one willing to be near you right now. Maybe you're the freak."

"Ha ha." After a few moments of silence Temari figured that she had to get information from someone and she would just have to talk to Zetsu.

"Are we beneath a forest?"

"Those are my roots. Don't worry yourself about them." Temari flinched when she saw a zetsu come out of a root and drop to the floor while another rose from the ground.

"Hi. You can call me Z." It seemed that the one from above is a new addition.

"Why are there two of you here? Shouldn't you be out there fighting?" As if on cue a light boom makes its way through the stone.

"We'd rather be down here with you." they both said while gesturing for Temari to have a seat on the couch.

She jumped off the table into a fighting stance. "I'm fine standing. Now why am I here?"

"Because he thinks you should be here. He'll explain more when he comes." Temari figured the first zetsu must be the zestu in charge.

"Who is 'he?' And why does 'he' want me here? And where am I in the first place?"

Z laughed, "We told you already. Are you always this forgetful?"

"You did not."

"Oh, maybe we didn't. It doesn't matter, anyway."

"This is really starting to get irritating. How do I get out of here?"

"There is no way out until he decides that you can leave."

She took a step forward and said, "I'm going to kill you two idiots if you don't start giving me real answers right now. Now who put me here?"

"Madara." they both said.

Well this definitely changed things. Temari figured that she was probably a prisoner of war. However, she couldn't figure out why the actual leader of Akatsuki would bother with her in the first place.

"Wait, which Madara, the old masked one or the new dead one?"

"The old, original Madara." Zetsu chuckled.

"So the masked one?"

"No, the dead one." said Z.

Temari blanched and sat on one of the crude couches. _Why would some dead guy transport me to a stone underground apartment prison?_ That just made her even more confused.

"Why me? Why am I here?"

"You said not to underestimate you. Or was that someone else?"

"It was me, but I'm no real threat to Madara." She nervously chuckled, "That was just harmless bravado on the battlefield. You know I wasn't being serious. He knows I wasn't serious." She strained out a sigh with her last laughs. "For goodness sake go up there and tell him that I wasn't serious!" She broke out in a cold sweat. _See if I ever open my mouth again during a fight._

She continued, "If anyone should be here, he or she should be a kage or something. Not that you should bring one of them down here either…"

"And yet _you_ are here."

Temari gained some of her anger back and shouted, "This is ridiculous! He didn't even acknowledge me up there. He hardly glanced at me. He _brushed_ _off_ my attack as if it were nothing. It _was _nothing to him. Now tell me why I'm really here."

"I'm happy you're down here and not up there. You could be dead by now and then who would I talk to?" Z had a comically sad frown that didn't fit his naturally smiling face.

"Yourself, each other, I really don't care who you talk to you crazy freak. And even if I were dead at least it would be with my comrades defending our world. Instead I'm going crazy and talking to a plant in a magical underground bunker. Now why am I here?"

"Hey! This is much better than just a bunker. There's even a bathroom down here." Z leaned in and stage whispered, "It's for you to poo in."

"There's also a stocked kitchen. We worked really hard on this place. We're still working hard on this whole thing." Zetsu haughtily added.

"What?"

"Madara gave us plans to build this place before he died. We've been working on it for years."

"You've been planning on kidnapping me for years!"

"No, not you. Just building this place. We'll be back soon, so don't get too worried. The bathroom and the library are now unlocked so have fun figuring out where they are."

Zetsu and Z sunk into the ground and right before Z's face disappeared he called out, "Madara will be here soon."

They were gone, and she was left alone.

* * *

"Mokuton: Kajukai Korin!"

Gaara was almost stunned as the giant blossoms raced towards him and the other kage. "Kazekage!" The Hokage's voice brought him back to reality in an instant. He lifted everyone above the forest, and as he marveled at the tangle of branches, he hoped that Temari and the others had managed to get a safe distance away. He knew that Madara would demand everything of him and he just couldn't afford to worry about anyone who couldn't contribute to this battle.

* * *

Temari actually found three rooms that were now unlocked. The bathroom was amazing. It was huge. There was a large natural looking stone pond and the water looked steamy and inviting. There was even a small little waterfall flowing into it. Along the far wall was a stone bench coming out of the wall with towels and buckets while the toilet and shower was in a smaller private room off to the side. It was like an underground onsen. It was calming just to look at.

The library was a cozy room with a golden hue. There were plenty of scrolls and books and a desk in the middle of the room with some sitting chairs placed between a couple of the bookshelves that lined the walls. There was even a shogi set.

The third room was a little strange. It was a thoroughly traditional room. The door opened to a small area for shoes that led to a screen door. Beyond that, the room was bright and comforting. The walls looked like paper screens and the floors were covered in tatami mats. You could never guess that this room was in an underground cavern. There were cushions for sitting on the floor and a low table. A large section of the room was bare and raised about half a foot above the rest of the room.

None of this really made sense to her.

She went back out to the couch and put her feet on the coffee table. It was time for her to figure this mess out.

* * *

The searing heat combined with the suffocating pollen produced by Madara brought the Kazekage to the brink of unconsciousness. He struggled to lift his head and looked around at the other kage. They were literally dropping like flies being exterminated.

His mind flew through all the books he read to prepare for this war. Was there anything in any of them that covered revived and practically immortal shinobi? He didn't think so.

His chest was getting tighter and he could see the darkness closing in. Gaara made a silent prayer for the safety of the alliance without its kage to lead them. He had faith that new leaders would emerge but he hoped that the alliance could get over this loss quickly.

He prayed for Sunagakure. Suna always needed a prayer. It's so easy to become and feel alone out in the desert. Gaara hoped that Suna might be able to make some lasting relationships through all of this.

He prayed that Naruto could continue to change hearts and minds.

He prayed the hardest for his family. He felt like he had too few years of actually living with them as siblings. That was his one regret. He wished that he could have known their support before his fateful trip to Konohagakure. He hoped they would both come out of this war victorious and able to achieve the happiness they both deserved.

He finally prayed for himself and the kage next him. He prayed that their past deeds be forgiven and that their intentions matter much more than their actions. The heat went from searing to comforting and Gaara drifted into unconsciousness.

* * *

**A/N: **I'm looking for a beta reader. If you're interested let me know. I'd really like someone who can correct my grammar and character depictions.

Thanks for reading! Any feedback would be appreciated.


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: **So I hope you all like it. In this chapter Temari gets a hint at what Madara might have planned for her. She's not going to like it.

For some reason the update of this chapter was a bit wonky, so I'm re-updating for this chapter. The first time the website didn't seem to be working well.

_Italics are thoughts._

* * *

_So I've been kidnapped by the undead Madara and placed in a cushy stone prison._

_How stupid of me not to have a plan in place for just this common occurrence. What was I thinking? Where's a genius when you need one?_

_Probably somewhere not thinking about me._

_ Back to the evil dead…_

_I'm here because my big mouth got Madara's attention. I don't think he took me because of my abilities. I'm not that special. My chakra isn't limitless, I don't have a magical powerful being housed in my body, and I'm not from some extraordinary clan. __I also don't have any unusual abilities, unless you count my mouth writing checks my butt can't cash. We're far beyond negotiating so there's no way I'm being held as some bargaining chip. I don't even think an Uchiha can actually comprehend the concept of negotiation._

_No, I don't think he cares that I'm related to the Kazekage if he even knows I'm related to him. I'm not a significant piece in this war. So why the hell am I here?_

_Shit! Does anyone even know that I'm missing? I doubt it with all of the- _Poof.

Temari jumped more than she wished she had when Madara showed up out of nowhere in front of her.

The room grew colder as Temari looked at him, but she couldn't will herself to look higher than his chest.

He stared down at her with his arms crossed and didn't move an inch.

Temari finally remembered herself. _No matter who this guy is you're still Temari. He's clearly a clone anyway. _She stands up straight, tries to take a subtle calming breath and looks him in the face.

She held back a grimace at his dead cracked skin. It looked like it may chip off of his face at any moment. She keeps looking and meets his terrifying purple eyes. She can't help but to stare into them and she's surprised to still be breathing a moment later. She knew that this was a clone but with no way out it wouldn't be wise to destroy it. She also needed to get more answers before she made him upset with her. She knew she could have easily been tied up on the couch instead of standing in front of it.

She can't take the silence and asks him, "Why am I here?" More than a couple of moments pass and Temari is finding it easier and easier to meet his gaze. She repeats, "Why am I here?"

"Because I want you here."

"What do you want from me?" She swallows hard as he starts to walk toward her. The sound of his clanking body armor consumed the entire room. She could barely think with him coming towards her. She instinctively took a step back and fell on the couch. He smirks down at her and stops a few paces away.

"Urgh! Just tell me what you want, and how I can get out of here." She straightens herself out and crosses her arms.

He remains quiet and unmoved. Temari did not lie to herself and deny the unease this man caused in her, but her patience was wearing thin.

"I don't know why you picked me, but you picked the wrong person. I'm not telling you anything about the five kage or the alliance. You'll just have to throw me back and hope the next person is more compliant. Although I doubt that even you will be able to get one of our shinobi to talk to you.

"You probably don't even understand the mentality of present day shinobi. Or am I even talking to Madara right now? You could just be the jutsu user acting through him. Just send me back now and save your time, whoever you are." She leaned back on the couch with her arms still crossed and a smug look on her face.

She was secure in that she knew he knew nothing of her and her past. _Heck, he's been dead for decades. He's probably just feeling clueless about the world and needs a few random questions answered or something._

"Information is not what I want from you." Confusion flashed across Temari's face.

_If it's not intel then what is it? Does he just want to mess with Gaara? He _is_ fighting him. Maybe he wants to get in his head or something. But there's no way he could know we're siblings. We don't even look alike.  
_

_Did he think the fourth division would fall apart? He couldn't know that I was presently in charge of the current division. Even so we have a well-established order in place. My absence won't impede our army's actions. This has to be the jutsu user._

"Hmpf. Took you long enough." Temari's eyes widened in disbelief. _No way. There's no way that he can read minds too. Does that mean I finally figured out what he wanted?_

The two zetsus appeared holding two big duffel bags each. "We had to travel a long way, Madara. We got everything you wanted though." Temari cringed at the creepy way they had of talking together and also at her inner embarrassment for having thought Madara could read her mind.

"Of course you did." His eyes never left Temari. "Temari isn't it?"

_Shit. How does he know my name? _"You know that's my name." Her tension was pouring through her words. _What else does he know about me? About everything?_

She finally understood what she thought Itachi must have felt because she definitely wanted to wipe all the remaining Uchihas off the face of the planet.

"Hn. I suppose I do. You have no knowledge that I need. I want you here because I simply want someone to be here for my amusement. I have picked you to keep me company when this war is over. You're also shaping up to be more entertaining than fighting those pitiful excuses of shinobi you call kage. So I will send clones down here during the war too. Zetsu will explain some things for you. I'll be back soon."

What Madara did not tell Temari was that he picked her because he wanted to destroy her attitude. But Madara figured it would be more fun if she didn't know that was his goal.

"Wait! What if you don't come back? What if they seal you?" He strode over to her and patted her head. Temari hated people touching her without her permission but she tried to hide her irritation. This wasn't the time to make these people irritated with her. Not just yet. Not until she had an escape plan.

"They won't. But Zetsu will take care of things if I'm no longer around." and he disappeared.

The zetsus brought her out of her thoughts as they dropped the bags they were holding on the dining table.

"These are for you. Don't worry. I won't hurt you unlike him."

"Are you sure?" Temari did not miss the ambiguity in her own question or in their answer. _  
_

"Yes. I'm your new best friend." The one who wanted to be called Z said this. She noticed that Zetsu's body wasn't as twisted as Z's.

"Oh great. I always wanted a really freaky friend to have sleepovers with."

"We don't sleep."

"Do you guys know that you're really creepy?"

"Yes," they both stated together.

"What's in the bags?" Temari got off the couch and started to walk over to the table.

"The only way to know is to open them yourself."

"I won't get hit with some kind of knockout gas or anything will I?"

"Nope." Z and Zetsu took seats at the dining room table directly across from her to get the best view. Now Temari was really getting suspicious.

She slowly unzipped the first bag and found two sets of fans on top of a bunch of fabric. She opened one of the fans and was amazed at its beauty. The metal was silver and the leaves of the fan had cherry blossom branches over a lavender ombre background. They were regular sized hand fans but had a good weight to them. She charged them with a bit of chakra and was surprised that it worked.

_Why would Madara give me weapons after taking away all of mine? She was not about to hand these over to Zetsu though. Any weapon is better than no weapon, and these were nice weapons._

The other pair of fans were much larger than the hand fans but nowhere near as large as her main weapon. They were all black with a red moon and a red forest landscape on the leaves. These made her nervous and they did not respond to her chakra.

She quickly set them aside and it came to her. _That bastard doesn't mind giving me weapons because he knows I can't even begin to try to kill him._

Temari had a hard time hiding her anger, but she knew her thoughts were true. One on one with Madara would have a very quick and final end for her. She could not approach him physically. She didn't even have a way to seal him down here.

She began to unpack the fabric and realized that they were clothes. This bag and the second bag were filled with clothes. Some of them looked like really expensive kimonos and obis while others had chiffon and lighter materials that seemed too complicated for her to wrap her mind around at the moment. _Great. He goes on a shopping spree for me. I don't need new clothes. Especially clothes I don't understand. _

"Don't worry, Temari. I'll be helping you with your clothes from now on anyway."

"I bet you just know all about fashion. I mean you must go shopping all the time for yourself."

"You're going to be fun, Temari."

Temari's mind started to race as she went through the pile of fabric. _Why _would_ Madara give me clothes? Why would he give me _these_ clothes? He wants me in _these_ clothes. I don't like where this is going at all. This changes everything._

Temari's head started to feel tight and her tongue felt like it took up her whole mouth. She started to find it hard to focus and she felt a sudden light-headedness.

_No, NO, **NO! **I've got to get out of here. _

She grabbed hold of the table to steady herself and asked Zetsu, "What's the meaning of all of this?"

"Aren't you going to look in the other bags?"

Temari did not like this one bit. In fact there's nothing she's liked about this entire day. From Madara getting resurrected to having a dialogue with zetsus, it's all gone downhill. So she steadied herself and mentally prepared for whatever atrocities would meet her in the next two bags.

She quickly opened the third bag and sighed in relief. These were her clothes, her shoes, her hygiene products. It was all hers. Well, she didn't recognize a few pairs of shoes but compared to the first two bags she truly couldn't care less about a few pairs of sandals. Her mind would not let her enjoy the sight for too long though.

There was enough stuff in this bag to last her quite a while. She did not like the idea of staying in captivity for longer than a day let alone a couple of weeks or longer. This just made her situation all the more urgent.

Zetsu began to chuckle as he watched her face go from a look of relief to a look of concern.

Temari slowly looked to Zetsu and whispered "Why?"

Z got up and started rubbing her back up and down. "It's OK, Temari. We'll be here with you. I'm your friend remember."

Temari swiftly moved away from him down to the last bag. She opened the last bag and saw a bunch of kanzashi.

_Kanzashi? Why would I need these. _She picked a couple up and they tinkled in her hand. _Well, I could probably use these as a weapon if I need to._

She sorted past the kanzashi and saw a shiny chain. She pulled on it and a pair of handcuffs appeared. She dug deeper and found a lot of things that she didn't recognize.

_Why would he bring a metal bar. I'm sure he doesn't need a lead pipe to murder me in the conservatory with._ _And why on earth would I need mittens down here? _There were lots of cuffs, leather straps, small chains, and different types of rope.

Temari held up a collar to get a better look at it. It was purple leather and had four metal D-rings on it. She put it down and saw what looked like a larger version of the collar.

_I don't know what over half of that stuff is, but I know it doesn't look fun._

Temari collapsed into a dining room chair and let her head fall on the table. She closed her eyes and suddenly felt exhausted. She listened to Z and Zetsu put the things back into the bags and tried to stop her head from spinning.

In a dark shadow in the corner of the room, Madara's clone surreptitiously disappeared.

* * *

Madara inwardly smirked as his clone passed on his interaction with Temari and her reactions. He was still just playing with the kage and he had to admit to himself that he wanted to get this war over with quickly. He wanted to play in a different way.

Madara hated weakness and one thing he couldn't stand more than weakness was one who was weak and didn't acknowledge it. He saw this most often in women. Women like the Hokage, the Mizukage, and little Temari.

Something about her comment from earlier about not "underestimating her" had stuck in his mind. He knew that a woman who knew her place in life was much more valuable than an over-confident kunoichi any day. He would be the one to give the gift of self-awareness to Temari.

He thoroughly enjoyed making people realize their own limitations in the face of true power like his. But with Temari he could be more subtle than with the kage. There was no need to kill her. In fact, her gift to him for this realization would be her life.

Temari as the world knew her would no longer exist. Well, the entire world as it is wouldn't exist if Madara won, but Temari would be his own little project on the side. He always did have an affinity for Suna in his first life.

He sent a couple of nearby zetsus on a quest to get some more information about her and report it to him.

Madara was slammed into a rock face and was forced to acknowledge a bit of Tsunade's power.

_It seems that the Hokage isn't as weak as I originally thought but she's still a far cry from true power. I'll dance with them for a little longer and then I'm moving on to bigger things._

* * *

**A/N:** Any thoughts shared would be appreciated. I actually would really love to have your thoughts on this story.


	4. Tea Service

**A/N: **This is all in fun. I hope you enjoy reading it.

_Italics are thoughts._

* * *

Temari woke up bent over with her head on the floor. She started to get up but something stopped her. She opened her eyes to see that she was bound. She still wore the pink kimono but nothing else about her situation was the same. Her ankles, calves, and thighs were tied together. The rope around her calves was connected to the rope around her thighs keeping her in a kneeling position. Each wrist was tied to the sides of her legs forcing her palms to lie on the ground.

When she tried to sit up she felt a pull on her neck and realized that she was wearing the collar and a rope went through the d-ring in front down to the ropes on her legs. She was stuck in a kneeling bow and she could lift her neck barely more than a foot off the ground.

"Zetsu! Z! What is the meaning of this?" The collar was on so tight around her neck that it actually hurt to flex her neck muscles or to swallow. She definitely wouldn't be screaming out their names again very soon. She was incredibly uncomfortable, embarrassed, and angry.

Zetsu appeared before her. "Yes Temari, Is something wrong?"

"I'm going to pretend you did not just ask me that question. What the hell is going on?"

"You're tied up, and don't worry about trying to cut those ropes with some kind of wind chakra blade. It won't work. But I also don't think you want to upset Madara more than necessary so just sit there and be a good little girl. It'll be over in no time."

"Why did he tie me up in the first place?"

"Z and I tied you up. He ordered it because of the little incident with the collar you had earlier."

"How long was I out?"

"Just about ten minutes. Not long at all."

"Ok, I learned my lesson. You can untie me now." Temari hoped her statement didn't sound as hollow as it was.

"No, I can't. Not until Madara says I can. I can ask him for you if you like."

"Please do."

"He says, 'No.'"

"That was fast. Did you just pretend to ask him?"

"Madara and I are connected. We can communicate almost instantaneously."

_Well that explains a lot of my confusion. This Zetsu guy has been telling him everything about me. I have to be careful about what I do and say in front of him. _"OK, so what's going on in the war, Zetsu?"

"I'm back!" Z walked over to Temari and Zetsu with some kanzashi tinkling in his hands. "I just got you some more new clothes, Temari. I can't wait to see you in them. And I've wanted to put some of these in your hair since I got them. Now I finally can." He started sticking all kinds of flower picks in her hair while she tried to make it as difficult as possible. She could feel some of their tails dangling on the side of her head.

"Stop touching me, and stop putting that crap in my hair."

"I'm all done anyway. It's actually pretty boring out there. As far as Madara is concerned, he's pummeling your kage. Naruto's fight is progressing slowly but you wouldn't like where it's headed. As for the rest of the troops, they've started getting me out of their ranks, and they're all either still fighting reanimated shinobi or they're heading towards Naruto.

"None of it really concerns you anymore, Temari. No one up there but Madara is going to help you. I don't think anyone has even noticed you're missing."

_I'm not surprised no one's noticed I'm missing. Everyone's busy trying to stay alive. The only two people who really care about me are probably fighting some of the hardest fights of their lives._

"Can you untie me yet?"

"No."

"We really need to grow your hair out, Temari. At least it's nice and thick though." Z started to comb his fingers through Temari's ponytails.

"Stop touching me." Temari swallowed hard and painfully before she said what was on her mind next. Temari decided that if she could not fight them physically she could at least try to find out as much as she could about the enemy's plans. "If Madara does win…where will they send him next?"

"No one sends Madara anywhere. And _when_ he wins, he'll go visit Naruto. It's where everyone else is going anyway."

"Madara is a corpse. Someone is controlling all of the reanimated shinobi and they have a plan for Madara whether _he _likes it or not." Temari thought about picking a fight over the idea that Madara's win was a given outcome but she just couldn't bear to argue and be wrong. She could only imagine the crazy jutsus he was pulling on her brother and the other kage. Not to mention his limitless amount of chakra on top of his knowledge and battle experience. It was a fight she wouldn't dare think about too much while being below all of the action.

"Why would someone who's dead want you, Temari?"

_Good question. Why would anyone want me?_

"He's coming back. We'll talk to you later Temari." Just as they sunk into the floor Madara's clone appeared in front of her.

Madara was standing too close for Temari to see more than his legs and she'd rather look down at her own thighs than strain to look at his knees.

Her stomach felt tight and she had a hard time placing her feelings. Temari had felt many things in her life including terror, panic, and embarrassment. This was a mixture of them all. She felt helpless. She was there kneeling at Madara's feet and she couldn't even look him in the face. Temari quickly decided that she would do her best to put on a front of confidence. In a voice that was less angry than she was and more steady than she felt, she asked him, "Have you defeated the kage? Is that why you came back?"

"Don't question my actions. I will do as I please and you will accept it. As for the kage, they are still alive and will be thoroughly defeated soon. I've decided to unleash destruction itself on them. They should feel privileged to see it before their death."

"Let me go be with my little brother. If you are going to kill him, I'd like to be there in his last moments. You must have had family when you were alive. Can't you remember what it feels like to lose them?" Temari didn't know much about Madara but she knew she would have to fight this man with emotions and reasoning. She would have to keep trying tactics until one of them worked and she started with sympathy.

"…"

"You can keep a clone by me if you're worried. I just want to see my little brother one more time."

"No."

"Is it likely that the Kazekage is going to die?"

"Most likely."

"...If I promise to do whatever you like without complaint would you spare him? I'll do whatever I can to save him."

"No, and you'll still do whatever I like. How you feel about it is your own concern. I have no desire to kill you, but I will hurt you. I am in control of everything. If I am willing to give you something I will give it to you. Don't ever ask me for something like that again. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Madara-sama. But-"

"Temari, I will control the world. Everyone's existence will get better with my will as their own. But my plan is not what everyone thinks it is. I will not live in my own genjutsu all the time; I will still act in this world. Depending on how I feel after this war, I may not even make the Tsukuyomi as permanent as I first thought. The people in this time seem exceptionally weak and it might not be needed.

"But you, however, will still have your will. You will stay in this world, but only for me. Deal with that however you wish. Everyone must deal with loss, but you are going to lose much less than everyone else. You are not as physically strong as some kunoichi I've recently met, but you may be much more defiant than I first assumed.

"It actually makes you more interesting, but it does nothing to change my demands of you. You are going to be my companion. You're life from here on out will probably not be easy for you. I believe some women wouldn't mind this situation but I probably would find no real interest in those women.

"Listen to me, Temari. There is no escape that you can make from here. You are here until I decide you can leave, and I have no desire for that."

Temari couldn't pinpoint exactly when angry tears began to fall from her eyes but she couldn't deny their presence. She felt pathetic and indignant. It took all of her strength to keep her head from bowing to the ground under the weight of his words and the pull of the rope.

"You are in your current position because you chose to defy me. I might decide to leave you like that for the rest of this battle. I don't think you have humbled yourself in front of someone like me and I'm rather enjoying your experience."

He squatted down and lifted her head as far as it would go. "I can feel your emotions rolling off of you and I'm reveling in it." He gently wiped a tear away with his thumb before abruptly standing up and disappearing.

* * *

Madara's clone with Temari disappeared as the reanimation jutsu was being released in the war.

Madara had expected this from the moment he talked to Kabuto through Lord Mu. He didn't expect it to happen so soon. He could see the kage were shocked beyond belief as he went through the hand signs to rescind the contract. He made it clear to them that he was here to stay.

He voiced his embarrassment about having to recreate his perfect Susano'o. The kage were already trying his nerves. They were so beneath him that he could actually play around with Temari at the same time during their fight. He had thought he wouldn't be able to even talk to her until after the war, but they were so weak that he could send clones to mess with her all he wanted.

He was mentally over this fight. He had already proven his strength against them and now there was no real point in continuing.

Onoki. Onoki _would_ be the one to not give up. Madara started to wish he would have killed that brat ages ago when he had the chance. If Onoki wasn't broken then Madara would have to continue. He would make sure they knew their place.

* * *

She wiped her eyes off as best she could on her knees. She laughed at herself and wondered what her brothers and friends would think of her now. Temari realized that this situation was going to require her to say things she didn't really mean and to do things she normally wouldn't. She could play this game but it was going to be hard. If Madara thought that she would throw away her life and values then he was wrong. But if Temari thought she would get through this situation in tact, she was wrong too.

She called for Zetsu in a much more subdued manner than earlier and he almost appeared next to her instantly.

"When can you untie me?"

"I'll do it now."

"Thanks." She hated that her voice sounded so fragile. It always did after she cried. She made a promise to herself that no matter how angry or upset she got she would not shed another tear. She would not show her true self to these people.

Z showed up and helped Zetsu untie her. She reached behind her neck to take off the collar and found her fingers fumbling over the buckle. "Z, can you take this off for me?"

"That doesn't come off. It's locked on. It only responds to Madara's chakra."

Zetsu added, "We can replicate his chakra so it will only respond to us and Madara"

"Can't you loosen it a little?"

Z answered, "No. It only comes off when you shower."

"But you won't be showering until you go to bed." added Zetsu.

"OK, well I'm pretty hungry." As she looked through the fridge and the cupboards she decided to ask Zetsu and Z some more questions about the war.

"So any new developments in the war?"

"Well the alliance is winning most of the battles but they're going to lose the war..."

"I'd like you to explain that statement."

"Well one of the re-animations rebelled against Kabuto and released the Edo Tensei."

"What!?" Temari almost dropped the bowl of instant ramen she had decided on.

"Yes, all of the reanimations have been destroyed."

"So does that mean Madara's gone?" She couldn't help but to sound more than a little hopeful.

"No, Madara defeated the jutsu. He's still reanimated but he no longer has anyone who can recall him. Now he's practically unstoppable."

_This is unbelievable. Why would anyone dare to reanimate someone as dangerous as Madara? We have to destroy him somehow. Ha! What am I saying? I can't do a damn thing. I haven't even seen anything other than a clone the entire time I've been down here. _She glanced up at the ceiling. The rumblings from above were background noise to her now and she barely noticed them anymore.

She sat in silence as Zetsu and Z watched her eat. _Kamatari! Maybe I can keep trying to summon him here and then he can notify someone of my whereabouts and the information I've gathered. But he can't just appear before another person can he? He could run there but there's no clear way out of here. Maybe he could reverse summon me... But I would only return to where I was to begin with. Dammit! I can't use Kamatari in this situation even if I could summon him. Why couldn't I be held captive in a big tree house?_

Zetsu offered to clean up her ramen for her and Temari accepted. Z also got up and went towards the entertainment room. Once he opened the door he motioned for Temari to follow him.

She noticed a music player on an alcove near the raised platform. Z walked over to it and beckoned her over. As he was instructing her how to work it Zetsu came in with some new clothes. Temari almost jumped for joy when she recognized her own clothes. He brought in the outfit she wore to the kage summit and her new fans.

They explained that she needed to practice her dancing.

"Madara wants you to have at least three dances ready for him as soon as possible. He wants to have a little celebration once he has some time."

"That bastard wants me to dance for him in celebration of possibly killing my family and friends? What if he kills my brother? He wants me to dance for him in celebration of killing my brother?"

"You shouldn't call Madara a bastard. I don't think he would like it."

"Well there's a lot about this _I_ don't like. And I'm not dancing for that man. Especially if it means everyone I care about is dead."

"You can tell him that when you see him. He's coming down one last time before you go to bed. Those people were a part of your old life. Madara suggests you grieve for them now while he's not here. As long as you do your best he'll be happy watching. He doesn't care what type of dancing you do as long as you use the fans at least once. It's really not that hard Temari."

"And if I don't dance?"

"You'll have to find that one out on your own."

"Can you guys leave so I can change clothes?" She also couldn't wait to yank out her hair decorations.

"Yeah, we'll leave you alone. Go through the music and find some songs you like. That should be a good start. We'll check back in with you before Madara comes back again."

Temari went through the music choices more because the silence was beginning to get to her. Some of the songs were exactly what she was expected, those being mostly traditional shamisen and flute songs. But there were quite a few songs that really piqued her interest. Some songs actually seemed to be from her own listening inclinations.

Temari was tempted to just sit there and listen to music while refusing to practice a performance for that man. But she thought better of it. It would be much easier for her to figure out an escape if she wasn't tied up. It might also make it easier for him to give her information. She knew her best chance of getting out was to talk her way out of there.

_If I have to dance for this psycho I'm going to dance how I want and to the music I want. He'll just have to deal with it. He may think I'm doing this crap because he's making me, but I'm doing it just to gain his trust. As long as you know why you're doing it, it will be fine, Temari. You can do this._

Temari spent what must have been almost two hours dancing before Zetsu and Z came in.

"Can we see what you've done so far?"

"No."

"Don't be mean Temari. We are here to help you."

"I don't need your help. If Madara really wants me to do this crap then he'll get just that. When do I have to do this dance anyway?"

Z held up three fingers and pointed to each one as he said, "One for the current battle, one for the next battle, and an extra just in case. He'll expect them for when the battles are over."

"Go and wait on the couch while I get your things out of here."

Temari felt her anger growing again as she went out to the couch. _How dare he treat me like some kind of prize or something? But that man does scare me. I'm not getting out of here anytime soon and I'm going to have to come up with a plan. I need to start with boundaries. Madara thinks that he can make me do whatever he wants. He can if he uses force. There's no way around that. So I need to either get him to not ask me to do those things in the first place and/or not get him to use force if I refuse to do something. OK…how do I do that? I gain his trust. I make him care about how I feel._

Madara appeared before her and gave her a discerning look before sitting in front of her on the coffee table.

"Temari, did you have something you wanted to talk to me about?" _Damn those zetsus._

"I had a few questions about…the dancing."

"Are you modest? Because if you are, I must tell you that your outfit tells me otherwise." Temari just smirked at him. She was used to getting comments about her outfits and none of them fazed her anymore. Her clothes were usually on the short side. She didn't mind showing off her legs as long as it was on her terms.

"No it's not my modesty that's giving me concern. It's my dignity. It's the fact that you want me to dance as some sort of victory prize for you. Do you have no empathy? I love my brothers more than anything and-"

"If your brother truly wanted his life he would have never stood against me. I am the only one who matters to you now."

"Or am I the only one you have?" Madara stood and slapped Temari so hard that her cheek turned a bright red. He latched a finger in a ring around her collar and brought her close to his face. Temari could smell the death that was still in him and she could barely breathe. Her hands instinctively went in front of her and tried to push him away. Madara's face twitched in self constraint and he just pulled her closer.

"Temari, I'm going to let you in on a secret. We are underneath the area where Naruto and the alliance are fighting me and Obito. I will be resurrected soon, but I won't be able to come back to you until everything is almost over. Cherish the time you have before that, because when I'm no longer dead my treatment of you will change drastically. Some of my senses are dulled in this state and I don't want to waste anything before I can appreciate it the way I should. No more warnings after today. The next time I see you the rules will change."

Madara pushed her back on the couch. Temari almost flinched when she saw his arm move but there was something different. He gently rubbed her reddened cheek before turning away from her and disappearing.

Temari sat stunned on the couch for a few minutes before heading to the bathroom. She really wanted to get in a hot bath.

Zetsu stopped her at the door.

"Can I help you, Zetsu?"

"No, I'm here to help you. I don't want to wait for you while you're in there so I wanted to show you where you're sleeping." Temari followed Zetsu down the hallway and came to the last door in the hall. He revealed a dim room filled with a dark ambience. It was large but the ceiling was much lower than the rest of the cavern. It felt stifling to Temari.

"This can't be my room." The bed was much bigger than anything she had slept in and the linen was all black. The headboard and footboard were tall and made from a dark wood with Uchiha clan fans cut out of the wood. In the far corner was a large round shallow pit lined with carpets and filled with pillows and blankets.

"It's not. You don't have a room. This is Madara's room."

"There's no way I'm sleeping in Madara's bed."

"That's fine with me. But you do have to sleep in this room. Be sure to come straight here once you're done in the bathroom. I may or may not be here, so please just do it."

"Well I do plan on taking my time in that bathroom."

"Be sure not to use the bath house portion. That's not there for you. Just shower and leave. I will know if you take a bath instead of just showering."

"Whatever Zetsu, I'm just ready for this whole nightmare to be over. Maybe I'll go to sleep and wake up in my tent where I should be. Wait, before you go, can you tell me what's going on up there?"

"Overall the allegiance isn't doing too badly. They still can't beat Madara though."

"Can sealing him still stop him?"

"Well I guess he could still be sealed, but it would be incredibly difficult to do. And he would always remain a looming threat if unsealed."

"So he knew all along that he would beat the Edo Tensei limitations, didn't he?"

"Yes."

"But he's still dead."

"Yes."

"And my family?"

"They're still alive."

"Thanks for telling me, Zetsu. Tell Z good night. Oh and don't forget about this." Temari pointed to her neck and Zetsu removed her collar. She definitely would not remind him to put it back on.

Her pajamas and a towel were on the toilet, and she found all of her hygiene products already in the bathroom. _Well at least they brought my own PJs albeit pajamas I never wear. _She showered and put on the purple nightgown shift and grabbed her shinobi headband. The nightgown had thick straps and fell right below her knees.

She went to his room and decided that she was going to go straight to bed. She hated to admit it but the cool sheets felt really nice after her hot shower. She laid there in the dark with just a small light near the floor in case she needed to get up in the night. Now was her time to think. Who knew when the next time she'd have a moment like this would be.

_I have to either get Madara to not ask me to do things I don't want to do and/or get him to not get mad at me if I don't do something he wants me to do._ Temari's hand unconsciously went up to her cheek. _So far he's just slapped me a couple of times and tied me up. I really don't want it to get worse than that, but I might have to test him a few times. I'm going to have to learn how to manipulate this asshole. That means I'm going to have to negotiate with myself._

_I'm really going to hate this. But I will be able to live with myself if I swallow some of my pride and keep my mind straight. If I exchange too much of my pride for the chance to save my life, eventually I won't have much of a life worth living. If I exchange my pride for my life, the possible defeat of Madara and the Akatsuki, and the lives of my family and friends then it will be worth it. I just have to keep constant mental vigilance._

_Maybe he'll think that I've given in. That might be even better. If he thinks I'm a lot more docile than I am I might be able to manipulate him more easily. Perhaps I could even try to endear him to me. That's a dangerous game, but I'm already losing. I have to even my odds. Hopefully he'll be defeated. I have faith in my friends, but if he wins...I might be the only one able to stop him after the war._

_Who am I kidding? Temari and docile don't belong in the same breath unless there's a not in there somewhere._

Temari started to feel herself falling asleep. _I hope I don't have to stay here long._ That was her last thought as she finally let herself go to sleep.

* * *

**A/N: **Thanks for taking the time to read this. It means a lot to me.

I eventually want to name all of the chapters but I'm having a bit of trouble with it.

To the "guest" who reviewed the last chapter, **THANK YOU!** You really helped me through the week.

And to "Dynamo" I'm not exactly sure about the direction, but it's definitely going to be a bit of both. Thank you so much for leaving your comment. I don't think I can express how much it meant to me. Feel free to PM me if you have any ideas.


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N:** I bring up the Shinju tree in this chapter. I know that the manga says it blooms in 15 minutes, but in this story it will take longer. I think he said it because 15 minutes is about 4 episodes and 7 chapters in Kishimoto war-time and any longer would require its own filler season.

I don't know much about dance and music so just go with the flow in that section and try to visualize it. You will have to fill in some of the blanks on your own, but I include the music I'm thinking of. I have some of the moves timed to the song. Let me know if it would be helpful to include when in the song a certain thing happens. You know like a small (3:44) to indicate at 3 minutes 44 seconds she starts to do whatever.

_Italics are thoughts._

And remember, this is all just for fun. Don't take it too seriously.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any music by anyone for that matter. If someone else owns it, you can bet I don't.**

* * *

That night was the first of Temari's chronic restless nights. She regularly woke up every few hours from dreams she couldn't remember.

The smell of cooking eggs brought from the bed to the kitchen. Zetsu had fixed her omelette rice for breakfast. It seemed that Zetsu and Z did all of the cleaning and if they wanted to cook for her too, she wouldn't protest. She thought about them possibly drugging her food, but so far nothing indicated that was likely. She would take her easy victories where she could.

She took a seat at the dining table and the zetsus sat across from her before informing her that her clothes for the day were now in Madara's room.

"Is there any way you could put a clock on the wall? Not having daylight is really confusing."

"That's on purpose, Temari."

"That's helpful. So what time is it?"

"It doesn't matter. You can change and practice your dancing again. Madara won't be down today and we want you to stay active." said Z.

"Is there a training room? No matter how much I train I'm not able to seal Madara, and it would definitely help me stay active."

"Just dance until you get really tired. The practice will make you better at dancing, and you'll use up your energy." followed Z._  
_

She saw the argument going nowhere and went to change into her black kimono. There was no mention of the purple collar as Z produced her red sash, and Temari surely wasn't going to remind them about it.

She decided to go to the library first.

Temari found what she guessed was supposed to be her section of the library. The books were all about cooking, hosting, and other stereotypically feminine domestic things she never found very interesting. She wandered over to the other books. Most of them were about history. Some were genuine original first-hand accounts of battles and fights while others were books about politics, geography, and trade. If she couldn't train her body she might as well train her mind, and she began to take note of which books she wanted to read.

She caught sight of the shogi set and smiled to herself as she thought of Shikamaru. Then she frowned as she remembered her circumstances. For one, no one probably even knew for sure that she was missing. Secondly, she was also positive that she never ran through his mind.

Zetsu slammed the door open jarring Temari from her thoughts. "We have some news for you Temari."

"Tomorrow is going to be an important day. We expect the fighting will be over and then you can thank Madara for winning." Z stated as he followed Zetsu into the library.

"Tomorrow is an important day for you. Madara wants to celebrate his victory. I wouldn't mess up if I were in your place." stated Zetsu.

"I guess even dead folks like a party. Other than dance for this frea- Madara and probably serve some tea, what else is there for me to do? Does he want me to blow up balloons and hang streamers? Tell him to bring down some of the bodies and I'll paint the place red for him."

"He wants you to prepare some food. He likes inarizushi."

"He doesn't even need to eat or drink anything! He's dead!"

"Just do it...or don't. The choice is yours. But remember that his day of triumph is yours too."

"Yeah, yeah." she added unenthusiastically.

"Are you clear on what you need to do?"

"The dances and inarizushi, which I have never cooked before."

"Well after you finish dancing come and talk to us and we'll get your clothes ready for tomorrow. As far as the food, there are cook books in here. He may also want some other food as well."

"And don't forget that you'll be eating too." added Z.

"It will be his first meal in quite a long time. If you need something for the meal, just ask us and we'll get it."

* * *

For what could have been no less than 5 hours Temari first tried to kick and slice open every chakra resistant/reinforced door in the place again and then she danced.

She ate some lunch before heading back to the library to look at the cookbooks. She found one she liked and saw that inarizushi took a long time to make. She decided that it would be easiest to make as much as possible beforehand and just finish things up tomorrow.

She prepared lots of rice and put them in different bowls depending on seasoning. Temari figured that other types of sushi would go well with inarizushi. Everything was ready so she would just have to roll, cut, fry, and assemble things tomorrow. It took her about 4 hours to finish everything but she would only need about 2 hours to finish everything before Madara came.

She saw a few sake bottles and was about to add them to the tea and water she was going bring in but paused. The thought of an inebriated Madara alone with her in a room made her hide one bottle under the kitchen sink and pour the rest down the drain. She did not want a riled-up drunk all-powerful dead guy on her hands, and she doubted that even if he did want sake that one bottle would get him drunk.

On her way back to the library she saw Zetsu and Z coming out of the wall next to a locked room.

"Zetsu, Z, what's going on up there?"

"We still need to work on your dancing outfits."

"And that concerns what's going on in the war, so just tell me."

"I don't see how that makes sense; however, Madara has defeated the kage, and now he's fighting Naruto and The Allied Forces."

"Are the kage still alive?"

"Yes. They were practically dead, but they are now all somewhat recovered. You wanted to know if your brother was still alive, didn't you? He may not be alive for much longer."

"Why?"

"He has joined the fight with Naruto: a very bad choice."

"Gaara and Shukaku have had a bit of a reunion, but Madara will have all of the jinchuriki soon." added Z.

Temari knew she couldn't trust everything Zetsu said, yet she hated the confidence in his voice. His last statement sparked a thousand questions in her. She wanted to know everything about Gaara and Shukaku, but she realized that Zetsu was not good with details. The best way to get information out of him was not to delve deeper but to ask about many different things.

"What about the other Madara? Is he still alive?"

"His name is Uchiha Obito and he's more me than him now."

"Obito? Madara mentioned an Obito yesterday. Who is he exactly? And what about The Allied Forces? How are they faring?"

"That's enough. We want to finish with you quickly so we can go back and watch." Temari was tempted to keep bugging them about it but she didn't want them to stop giving her any information at all.

"Since I have no way of telling the time and I don't know when to expect Madara, will you make sure I have enough time to get everything ready for him tomorrow? I need at least 2 hours for the food."

"Of course. Now about your clothes."

"Two of the dances are more traditional but I still need to be able to move. The third dance, as requested, is belly dancing."

"Well we're going to leave you alone for the rest of the night. Be sure to get some sleep."

"If you leave me a clock then I could know when it's getting late."

"Or we could just tell you when to go to bed." said Zetsu.

"We'll come back when it starts to get late. If you're not sleep by then, we'll let you know." Z and Zetsu merged with the floor and left Temari alone.

_Tomorrow _is_ an important day. If he actually comes out of this victorious, the way I behave tomorrow is going to have a huge impact on our relationship. And that is the only thing I can control in order to get what I want. Even if he doesn't win, I still may have to talk my way out of here._

Temari continued to the library to think things out. She pulled a collection of battle accounts from before the hidden villages were established but she never actually opened it.

_This is probably going to be the last big battle of the war, but I can't hear anyone in my mind from headquarters so I must be pretty far underground._

_Everyone is up there. I just need to give them a signal that I'm down here. Maybe if I yell…I'm not even going to pretend to myself that would work._

_Maybe the roots in the ceiling could help me somehow. I can try to pull them out which might leave a hole I could climb through or at the very least cause a disturbance above ground. The problem is that no one may notice it if everyone's looking a different way._

_Maybe there is a simple way out of here._ Temari went out to the big room and looked at all the walls. She had tested the walls the first day and found nothing. She looked up towards the tall ceiling. The ceiling was about twenty feet high. She stood on the dining room table and created a subtle but strong whirlwind to bring her to the ceiling. She began to systematically pat the ceiling trying to feel for any irregularities that could lead to a way out.

_I still need to prepare for tomorrow in case this doesn't work._

_I need to appear as if I'm on his side. But I can't seem too eager or he'll get suspicious. If I make him think that I really believe that I have no one but him, he should buy my change of heart. He's so confident in himself he probably already thinks I've started giving up on my family and friends. But no matter how much I pretend to be with him, I will never betray them._

_I can just be pleasant tomorrow. He hasn't asked me to do anything abhorrent. Thank goodness he hasn't tried to... ugh, I can't even think it. Maybe it's a good thing he's dead. I might have to be worried about a living man's...desires..._

Temari's whole body shivered in disgust at her thoughts.

_What are we going to talk about? I'd better make sure that I have some background music playing throughout the day. It'll help us both feel relaxed._

_I'll ask him what he thought of his opponents. I can ask him about the music, the food, and my dancing... I can ask him about his plans! It won't even seem like I'm prying._

_He probably hasn't had conversation in years. He_ has _been dead. He's probably feeling lonely and doesn't even realize it. That's probably why I'm really here. The old dead guy wanted to have someone to talk to after he puts everyone to sleep._

Temari envisioned a lonely Madara crying over his tea about not having any friends and couldn't help but to chuckle at the image.

"What's so funny?" Z's head unexpectedly appeared out of the ceiling between Temari's hands.

Temari's wind faltered and the table dropped halfway to the ground. "I was just picturing the look on your face when Madara gets sealed by my brother."

"It's time for bed, Temari. See you in the morning." She went back up to him and punched him in the face.

"You didn't have to make such a dramatic entrance."

* * *

By the time Temari went to bed Madara had forced Obito to fully revive him and he had become the shinju's jinchuriki.

Madara could feel every cell in his body surge with the power of the Sage of Six Paths. All he needed now was his left eye and his victory was practically guaranteed. On his way to Obito he coughed up the Benihisago and Kohaku no Johei, two of the sage's tools. One of which was used to seal away the Gold and Silver brothers. He didn't need them, but Madara appreciated history. As they fell to the ground he telepathically sent a message to Zetsu to take the tools to his underground armory.

Tenten recognized the tools as they fell on her two remaining teammates. Gai and Lee continued on as Tenten stayed behind. She wanted to take them with her. As she prepared a scroll to store them, two white zetsu clones appeared out of the ground.

Tenten jumped back and simultaneously released a volley of kunai on them.

"Just grab the items. We don't care about her." Zetsu yelled to Z as they both tried to dodge her attack.

Z was hit in the shoulder and upper thigh. He grabbed the Kohaku no Johei and quickly sunk back into the ground as Tenten started to unlatch her large scroll filled with weapons.

Zetsu quickly grabbed the Benihisago and barely dodged the thrown kunai and shuriken that followed.

When Tenten realized they were just going to flee she ran towards Zetsu and started to summon a weighted net. She flung it at him and would have had him if he hadn't merged with the ground at the same instant.

Tenten looked around until she was satisfied that they wouldn't return to the surface. She slammed her fist into her hand out of frustration. Not only was Tenten upset at having lost the tools, but she was confused. The zetsu clones had no interest whatsoever in confronting her. She knew they would lose against her, but it didn't make sense for them to turn tail in a fight that was numerically in their favor.

She had no way of following them underground but she would remember to mention this to someone when she got back to the troops.

Madara made it to Obito only to find that Obito had completely turned against him. Madara expected this moment. He knew that Obito was unreliable as long as Kakashi was alive, but a small part of himself was still hurt from Obito's betrayal. He knew that whether he won or lost that Obito would die.

He eventually killed Obito by forcing him to sacrifice himself for Kakashi and grabbed his left eye immediately after. Kakashi was so low on chakra that he could barely breath on his own. The only threats left were Naruto and Sasuke.

Naruto was revived through the efforts of the Fourth Hokage and some other shinobi while Sasuke was revived through a jutsu Madara thought no one knew but himself. The fellow calling himself Orochimaru had to die. Not only did he seem to know many jutsus but he was treacherous. Madara killed him the moment right after Sasuke's revival. He cut his head off with Sasuke's sword. Team Taka and Kabuto managed to escape Madara's focus and only suffered minor injuries.

Madara lamented at the disgrace that was Sasuke. After Madara berated him for his weak mind that had been obviously manipulated by many, he resolved to kill this last Uchiha once and for all.

Naruto and Sasuke looked at each other before staring down Madara.

"I'm glad you finally came back, teme. I almost gave up on you."

"Shut up, dobe. I'm still going to crush you after we kill Madara. I'm the only one capable of turning Konoha into the shinobi village it was meant to be."

"Look, Sasuke, I'm not going to even start this argument with you right now. I'm going to be Hokage and you can be my right hand. But if we don't kill Madara there won't be an argument because there won't be a village."

Naruto and Sasuke look at each other in a superficially confrontational manner. Both know that if they make it out alive they will forever be friends and rivals. Both true to themselves first and then to each other.

"Seeing you befriend that pitiful excuse of a shinobi and jinchuriki almost makes me ashamed of the Uchiha name. Sasuke, this is your last chance. Join me or die. I will eradicate you from this earth, and your destruction will be so complete that not even your family will know you in the afterlife."

Dawn began to rise behind the two almost causing Madara to squint. Sasuke chose not to answer him in words. He knew his actions would speak for him. He activated his Susano'o and Naruto created a nine-tails cloak that was almost as tall as Sasuke's Sage Susano'o.

Madara chuckled as he cracked his knuckles. He thought that maybe this generation wasn't as physically weak as he first guessed. He activated his own perfect Susano'o and charged towards Sasuke first: man before beast. He looked forward to testing himself against one of his own kind in Sasuke. He was also comforted by the fact that if he did indeed lose that the Uchiha power was still the best. That only another Uchiha had been able to beat him in the end.

* * *

Temari woke up from the light in the room. She rolled over to see a smiling Z. She threw her pillow at him and grumbled, "That is going to give me a lifetime of nightmares. Thank you, Z."

"It's time to get the food ready. After that, we want you to shower and wash your hair. We'll help you get dressed back in here."

"Did he actually win?"

Z's smile did the impossible and got wider. Zetsu's still watching but Madara's victory is practically in his hand."

Temari knew that practically was not definite. She still held out hope that the alliance would pull out a victory. "What happened to Gaara?"

"He's still alive."

As Temari got out of the bed she mentally went over everything she thought about the night before. If she really wanted to get Madara to think she was on his side she would have to start acting like she was on his side. And she thought a real celebration wasn't complete without a cake.

She found a cake recipe and mixed it together. While the cake baked she finished the inarizushi and some of the other sushi rolls. She decorated the cake as best she could and topped it with fresh fruit. She finished the rest of the food and made it all look presentable on some platters before heading into the bathroom.

She took her time in the shower to relax and get her mind together. She examined the clothes left for her and realized that they were what you wore underneath a nice kimono. She found an off white skirt and wrap shirt with a stiff, light green collar that didn't have a closure._  
_

Temari held the shirt closed and went to the bedroom.

Z got behind her and made sure the light green collar was low enough on her back. Zetsu handed Z a sash and he snuggly tied it around her waist followed by a bigger one.

Then he brought out what looked like a thin kimono. The collar was off white while the extremely long sleeves and skirt were a pretty light blue. Z tied yet another sash around her to keep the kimono in place.

Zetsu handed Z what looked like a very thick light lavendar scarf. He wrapped it around her collar and again tied it with another thin sash.

Temari was not used to wearing this much clothing, and she was ready for them to be finished.

"Temari, wrap your sleeves up so you can get them through this kimono." Zetsu pointed to the heavier kimono that Z was holding. It was a beautiful teal that faded into light purple around the middle with silver dragonflies. The sleeves were the same teal but had and purple and silver koi instead of dragonflies. The lining of the kimono was the opposite of the outside. The bottom was teal and turned into purple at the top.

"Isn't this kimono a little long?" Temari asked while Zetsu held it closed and Z tied another small sash around her lower down than the others.

"Oh no, it's just right. It's supposed to drag, it'll make your dance look prettier. It's also slightly open at the legs so it's easier to move in than a normal kimono."

"Be sure not to trip on it." suggested Z. _Like I need another thing to worry about. _Z tied another small sash higher up creating a pouch of fabric.

"OK, Temari next is the main obi." They then tied on another sash and finally started on the obi. It was very thick and heavy, but Temari had to admit to herself that it was beautiful. It was difficult to tell if it was actually silver or light blue. Z and Zetsu took almost ten minutes tying it on. The bow alone was something to marvel at. It had many folds and resembled a fan on one side and a smaller bow on the other, with lavender beads somehow tied into it and hanging from it. They tied a pink sash above the obi and stuffed the bottom down but left the rest showing. A lavendar obi cord over the obi finished the kimono.

"Am I finally dressed? Because that was ridiculous."

"You're so funny Temari only one more thing." Z brought out an uchikake. It was even longer than her kimono and had a thick padded hem. It too was light blue and had white foxes in a silver forest with sparse rust colored leaves. When it was all on she noticed that the layers parted slightly in the front would definitely allow for more leg movement.

"Isn't this a bit much? No one even wears an uchikake for anything other than weddings anymore. I know he's a bit old-fashioned because he's...just old, but do I have to sweat because of it?"

"It's beautiful on you. Now, we're almost done, and Madara's almost due." Zetsu motioned for her to sit on the bed while Z got out a bunch of kanzashi. Z put a metal fan-shaped one with metal tassels in one ponytail along with a small group of purple and pink flowers. On the other side was a rather large grouping of blue and green flowers accented with pearls. It dangled down the side but it stuck out far enough to not actually touch her face. He finished it off by putting two thin short lavender ribbons around her top ponytails and two large long lavender ribbons around the bottom ones. The tails of which went to her mid-back.

"Now we're done." Temari got up and hardly felt like herself.

"What about my headband?" She tried out a few of her dance moves and luckily everything worked out. "And how am I supposed to carry everything across the room in this? I'm definitely going to trip all over myself."

Z said, "You won't have to worry about that. Everything's ready now, so go and meet Madara and try to have fun."

"We're also keeping your headband for a while. You don't need it so don't think about it."

Temari almost scoffed at the last remark but decided to let it be. She was going to have to let a lot of things go today. She walked in front of the entertainment room door and took more than a few deep breaths.

_I have to clear my mind. I've got to get him to trust me. I can do this._

Temari opened the door and then knelt to open the sliding door. She refused to look up at him until she entered the room and knelt to close the door. She stood up and finally looked over the room.

She let out a deep breath. It was the same room she practiced her dances in. It just had more food and one extra occupant. Temari looked at Madara and gasped when she saw his face.

Madara was not in his sage mode.

"You're not dead." She didn't know if she should feel relieved or not. He took a sip of his drink and didn't even acknowledge her presence. He was sitting at the table facing the stage area. She relaxed her shoulders, walked over to the end of the table closest to the door, and knelt to sit.

"Sit across from me. I want to be able to easily look at you. I also still need to put this on you."

Temari looked over to him and saw him holding the purple collar. _It's just a stupid collar, Temari. Don't turn it into something more. Just let him put it on you and move on._

She noted that he wasn't wearing his usual burgundy battle gear and turned her back to him.

She resisted the urge to put her fingers between the collar and her neck. He did her no favors, and it was just as tight as the first time she wore it. "This is to remind you that you belong to me."

"I _am _a person. You can't just turn me into some kind of pet." Temari's fingers grazed the collar.

"Would it help you if I added a leash? I've tamed beasts far more ferocious than you'll ever be. I've done it less than 24 hours ago, so don't test me."

Temari took her seat across from him. "Why aren't you dead anymore?" Her words came out in an accusing manner she didn't mean them to have.

"I will sate your curiosity only because you didn't skirt around the issue. I am fully resurrected. I am no longer just reanimated. I forced Obito to perform the Rinne Tensei. I am also not a clone."

_This changes everything. He can actually be killed now. If I can get him comfortable enough with me maybe I can _make_ him release me. I can't do anything too brash. I'll probably only get one chance and I have to get it perfect._

Madara noticed the effect of this information. Her posture straightened a bit, and her face slightly brightened. Madara knew she was thinking of a way to kill him and escape. He looked forward to it. He wanted to see what she would plan, and he wanted to punish her after it failed.

"Ahem, I made you some inarizushi. Would you like me to fix you a plate." Madara barely nodded and Temari put a variety of sushi on his plate. "This was my first time making it so let me know if it's good or not. Same with the cake."

Temari placed the plate in front of him and asked if he would mind some background music. He shook his head once and Temari went over to the music player. She put on some traditional Japanese shamisen and flute music on a low volume. She knelt back down and noticed he hadn't eaten. "Is there something wrong with the food?"

"I am waiting for you."

"I didn't poison it or anything. There's nothing to even poison it with." she mumbled as she prepared her own plate. She had absolutely no appetite and just got one of each item. After she ate a piece, he finally began to eat.

"So…" she put her chopsticks down and looked over at his plate. "I take it we lost." She stared at his plate because she couldn't stand to see any sense of satisfaction on his face.

"Why would you think that?"

"Why else would I be all dressed up like this? I feel ridiculous. You've won the war and- and now you're having your party."

Madara looked at her for a while before saying, "You do not look ridiculous."

He thought she looked empyreal. The colors seemed to fit her perfectly. It was easy for a girl to be lost in so much clothing, but Temari seemed to have a demanding grace that the clothing only enhanced.

"I'm just not used to all this fabric."

"You may not have to worry about that for too long. No, _we _did not lose. _We _won; the alliance lost."

"Oh. Is everyone already under the genjutsu?" Temari chose to ignore his first statement.

"No, not yet. I have to wait for the shinju tree to blossom, then it will be complete. The blossom will reflect my will on the moon and into everyone else. I expect it will be a couple of weeks but no more than a month."

"So _we_ haven't won yet, at least not completely. What happens if someone cuts the tree down or they sabotage the flower?"

"The Shinju has its own defenses. Destroying the tree is not the way to stop it."

"Then how could they stop it?" There was a long silence and Temari hoped that her question didn't seem too eager. She had to get him to believe she supported him. She looked up at him and she was locked in his gaze.

His eyes looked so alien to her. The color, the pattern, and their intensity were all too much. She tried to look down, but she was still trapped by his eyes.

Madara hadn't noticed her eyes before now. He found them radiant and dark at the same time.

He finally turned away and continued eating. Temari took a deep quiet breath and took a bite of the food she didn't want.

"How was the battle? Were your opponents worthy to face you?" Temari almost gagged at the blandishment, but she would do what was necessary.

"The Kazekage surprised me with his determination. There was also a strange-looking man in a unitard that really gave me a shock. He was much more powerful than I initially gave him credit for. I had to kill him, but he was...unique...I had a nice dance with Naruto and Sasuke. They proved a real match for me in the end... I must admit that I regret having to kill the only other Uchiha left, but he died a good death. It seemed to affect Naruto more than me even..."

Madara paused for so long that Temari almost interrupted him. "He does not take people sacrificing themselves for him very well. A good leader understands he is more important than the individuals he leads. He may never understand that. He cried over Sasuke's body... I'm not sure if he will be able to lead what remains of the troops. I did manage to kill off their Hokage. She was an annoyance I am glad to be rid of."

Temari wasn't sure how she should outwardly react to this news. She was glad to hear that Sasuke came back to the light before dying, but that was the only new good news she could glean from this new information.

"So Sasuke and Tsunade are dead...What are The Allied Forces going to do while the tree blooms?" Madara looked at the young girl next to him. She truly was young. There was nothing she could do against him and she still had hope. She was so harmless it was almost cute. Madara couldn't decide whether he should humour her or crush it this moment.

"They will probably try to defeat my plan for the world. They are not only weak but misguided as well."

"They are just trying to do what they think is right." Temari told herself before that she would not betray her comrades and she meant it. She waited uneasily for his response.

"And what am I doing?"

"Well, if you still plan on putting people into your dream world, I think you're doing what you think is best too. Since you won and they lost, I hope that you're right." Madara assessed her for a moment. He saw honesty in her statement and decided to see if she was as earnest in her actions.

"I would like to see what you have prepared for me. Your fans are along the wall." Temari nodded and walked over to the wall. As she picked up the large black fan she decided that she would continue to defend The Allied Forces whenever she could.

Her mind shifted to the dance she was about to do. Temari was not a professional dancer but she knew how to move her body. She took what Zetsu and Z said about Madara's appreciation for dance seriously. Each dance would have to be more than just a dance with this man, and this dance was going to glorify Madara's win.

The thought of celebrating Madara made her a little sick and she almost tripped from the sudden onset of nausea. She took a deep breath to settle her stomach and reminded herself that she had to do this if she wanted to accomplish anything.

Her brother never assigned her deep-cover missions and this would serve as her personal test. So many times she told him she was ready, but forsaking a part of one's self was harder than it sounded. And it sounded pretty hard to begin with.

Temari took another deep breath and closed her eyes. _Remember Temari, t__his is supposed to be a dance of triumph. Just focus on the dance._

[She chose to do a fan dance inspired by traditional fan dances to the untraditional song "Passion" by the Yoshida Brothers. ( you tu .be / 4qQL7srF3cs -just take out the spaces.)]

She started in a traditional bow with the fan closed in front of her and raised her head for about the first 20 seconds of the song. The song starts slow but it quickly picks up speed. Temari moves slowly and follows the simpler count in the song.

She slowly rises into a forward lunge, allowing for the kimono, holding the still closed fan in a lateral position pointing forward. She turns her head to each side while moving her free arm smoothly and gradually out to the side. She begins to smoothly and slowly open the fan. By the end of the first minute the music calms and she's still crouched in a lunge, the fan mostly covers her from her nose to her knee, and one arm is still straight out to her side.

She dramatically uses her eyes to look to each side before meeting his. She brings her back leg forward to stand up straight. The shamisen picks up again and she quickly flips the large fan in the air where it turns once and she catches it with the same arm behind her. It frames her body and she begins to do traditional footwork and hand gestures with the fan. She's moving at a more traditional medium pace against the fast music but the tempos find each other and it works.

Half way through the song the mood changes. She begins to do more tricks with the fan while increasing her speed and widening her gestures in opposition to the song. The kimono helps her movements seem graceful. She uses the long sleeves to accentuate the traditional gestures and moves. She begins to match the music's beat and stays with it while keeping her movements large.

She then does a quick succession of fan tricks to emphasize some of the dramatic beats in the song before going back to her unhurried pace. She ends holding the fan completely open with both hands and the fan leaning towards her before she gently closes it and kneels.

After a moment she rose and placed the fan back against the wall. She wished that she didn't have to go back and face him, but she had no choice.

She started to take off the outer robe before turning away from the wall when she sensed his presence behind her. She stopped moving and felt him take the uchikake off for her.

"Thanks." She continued to face the wall until she heard him sit at the table again.

They both sat there looking down. She looked at her plate and he looked at the robe he still held.

Madara made her dance to impose his control over her actions and reinforce her compliance. And if she did a laughable job or if she tried to seduce him, he took joy in the chance to humiliate her.

However, Temari's dance was not what Madara had expected. He expected some shamisen music along with demure movements. Coy eyes looking away from him. A dance about butterflies or falling leaves. Instead he was confronted with fast new music and bold large movements. Her dancing had a sense of strength and poise he did not foresee. She looked like a warrior.

"Tell me about your dance. The one you just did."

"That was your dance. I made it for you." She looked up at him and found that he was still looking at the robe, so she continued, "From the bit of your fighting style I was able to see I figured that you alone dictate your pace. In the middle of a battle you could probably still yourself and make things go how you want them to go. While everyone else is frantic, you would be more like a calm storm. That's why I often danced at a different, but complimentary, count to the music. And it's also why I used the black fan. I guessed that the fan symbolized your new world."

"I am glad you're not a fool." Temari wasn't sure how to take that last statement so she just said nothing.

"Are you aware of the Kyubi and the power it holds?" He started to trace the design of the robe with his fingers. "Yes, of course, you were quite familiar with the tanuki demon, the Ichibi. I have only met the Kyubi's jinchuriki recently, but the Kyubi and I have a long history. I am the only shinobi alive who is able to summon him and force my will upon him. He was a great feat and something I am still very proud of."

Temari knew that he was probably at the brink of sharing more about himself with her than he ever had with someone who wasn't his family, and she wanted him to keep going.

"Is that why there are foxes on the robe?" He looked over to her without meeting her eyes.

"You probably haven't heard all the stories I have about foxes, you coming from the land of the tanuki, but most magical foxes were thought to be white. There are many stories of foxes tricking men and playing on their desires. They are capable of both good and evil." After a moment of silence he pushed the robe aside.

Temari decided to not push the issue. She recognized the importance of what just happened. He was actually starting to converse with her. "Do you like the food?"

"It's fine."_  
_

"Do you ever want me to fix it for you again?"

"Probably."

She slouched a little. "Did you actually like the dance?" Madara's face had not changed since she entered the room. No frowns or slight smiles. She was having a hard time figuring out how he felt.

"Yes."

"Good. It's not like _I_ had a choice, so at least one of us got some enjoyment from it."

"I enjoyed it. I'm sure the next two will be just as entertaining for me."

Madara reluctantly admitted to himself that he really did look forward to seeing her dance again. He was starting to see that perhaps there was more to this kunoichi than his need to put her in her proper place. He was beginning to question where her proper place should be.

"What are we going to do while we wait for the tree to bloom?"

"We are going to prepare for when it blooms. I am going to meditate and support the tree. You are going to learn how to live with me and to appease me." Temari felt a pang in her chest. She did not want weeks of _this. _She felt an impulse to get up and run out of the room. She held it in and stood up.

"Madara-sama, I'm feeling tired. I'm guessing that this is lunch and we'll meet again for dinner. I'm not sure what time it is, but you can just have Zetsu come find me." She turned to leave the room.

"I didn't say you could leave. The alliance will not be an issue today and I plan on spending time with you. We will finish here and then you will have a couple of hours to yourself before we meet again for dinner. I didn't realize that you were so feeble as to be tired from one dance." Temari didn't take his bait and returned to her seat.

"Fine." Temari seemed like a petulant little girl to Madara and his annoyance spiked.

"Madara-sama, how does the tree protect itself? How does it stop people from just cutting it down?" Madara calmed himself and looked at her.

"I will not explain it all to you, but I have allowed the tree's roots to take chakra from anyone who gets too close to it. The tree is also infused with more chakra than anyone in this world has seen before and it will not be very affected by chakra based attacks. It is also far too resilient to just be cut down by an axe."

"I see. The Shinju is the Jubi, right?"

"In one of its forms, yes."

"Is the Jubi like the other biju?"

"In what sense?"

"Are you the Jubi's jinchuriki?" Madara gave Temari a strange look and was silent for a moment.

"I have allowed you to speak freely far too much. I admit that your voice is not as annoying as most women's voices but I still have my limits. I want to see your next dance."

Temari stood up and loudly mumbled, "I guess I was right, jinchuriki."

[Temari did the same type of traditional inspired dance to a song called "Kakusei" by a group called Hayate. Kakusei in this instance could mean awakening. ( you tu. be / nerhpPdKImA -just take out the spaces.)]

She set up the music, grabbed the two silver fans and once more returned to the platform. She tucked one fan in her obi and bowed before standing with her back towards him. The music takes off from the start. She starts with the fan closed at a medium pace. She turned to the side looking up using her arm and the still closed fan to emphasize the direction. She continued with traditional movements. Her moves were regal, traditional, and uplifting for the first forty seconds. She remembered how she felt knowing that all of the reanimated kage were finally sealed.

Then the songs's tempo changed. She began to lower herself and turn in all directions. Her moves became slow and wary. She finally opened her fan and faced Madara. With another small change in the music she began to lift her fan laterally over her head. She did a few twirls with the fan as well as some more traditional fan moves. She tossed the fan and brought out the second one as it dropped ending with an open fan in each hand.

She moved her hands and feet at a moderately slow pace but kept the fans moving quickly with the slight aid of chakra. She used a lot of the stage and made sure to turn in all directions. She began to favor one fan over the other eventually closing the other against her hip. She continued to dance but would sometimes purposefully falter. She closed the other fan three quarters of the way and ended the dance facing Madara with a barely open fan held out towards the side of the stage.

She placed her fans against the wall and once again felt Madara's presence behind her. Temari started to turn around but Madara grabbed her face from behind effectively pinning her to him with his other arm loosely around her arms and waist. Temari calmly asked, "What are you doing?" Madara squeezed her and told her not to fight him.

"You didn't think that I would let you get away with saying that jinchuriki comment, did you? Not after it was clear I wanted you to be quiet."

"You never actually said to- mmph" Temari was more than surprised to have cloth stuffed in her mouth. She started to push out the foul-tasting wad of fabric when Madara covered her mouth with his hand.

"After seeing you dance, I decided to not stuff your mouth, but you have a way of making me upset. You will learn to speak only when I want to hear you. Keep your mouth open, and don't push it out." Madara moved his hand and tightly tied a thick cloth between her lips.

Temari let out a muffled frustrated sigh at her new situation but quickly stiffled it. Madara began to move his hands down her neck and lingered around her collarbone. He could feel her muscles tense at his touch.

"I haven't really felt another person since I've come back. It feels so...warm. You..." Temari had stopped moving. She stopped breathing. She was hyper-aware of his hands. She could feel every twitch in his fingers as one hand started to slowly move into the low dip of her collar down her back.

Madara stopped himself and pulled away from her. He relished in his body's new sensation while fighting, but he almost forgot about the other things that could make his skin dance and blood surge.

He brought her here to humiliate her for his amusement. A way to pass the time. Before now, Temari was someone to literally just keep around and terrorize. Now he was starting to see her as something else. He still wanted to degrade her, but he liked how he felt so close to her. Madara hadn't expected Temari to bring these feelings of excitement out of him.

Madara was a very patient man and he would get everything he wanted in time. He was determined that her defeat, his entertainment, and his excitement would all be gotten.

"Go sit down. You can talk once I decide I can tolerate your voice again. And cut me a slice of that cake."

Temari's heart was pounding, but she kept her composure as she sat back at the table and cut him a slice of cake. She could only imagine how ridiculous she looked with a gag around her mouth cutting cake. _I can't believe I've been reduced to literally quietly serving Madara. He seemed to get mad when I discovered he was the Shinju's jinchuriki. I probably wasn't supposed to figure that out. All right, Temari, you just have to be a bit sneakier. I have to stay away from too obvious questions about his possible weaknesses._

"This is really good. I don't like the frosting, but I do not think I would like any frosting. I would like you to have a dessert always available for lunch and dinner." He looked over to her. "Do you understand me?" He could see a flash of what looked like annoyance go through her eyes before she nodded.

He finished his cake and looked back at her. He almost smirked at the anger conveyed by her eyes and clenched fists. "It's no use being angry. We all have to deal with life's little ignominies. Yours are just going to be more numerous from now on. If I were you, I would start getting used to the feeling. Don't Suna shinobi go through some form of emotional training? Use it now."

Temari almost didn't stop herself from slamming her fist on the low table. "Hmmpfh." _I don't think they covered dealing with crazy ex-zombies. OOOHHH I could hit him I'm so angry!_

"It is 2 o'clock, and I am done with this meal. Zetsu will come in and wrap all of this up for lunch tomorrow. You can figure out what we'll eat for dinner in the meantime. I'll expect it around 8. I do not like leftovers so prepare accordingly. Z will stay with you."

Temari's hands flew behind her head to untie the cloth. "Stop. You have nothing to say until I see you again. Keep it on, or I will have even more fun with you later."

Temari stood up as angrily as she could and gathered herself before proudly raising her head and exiting the room.

* * *

Sorry it's so long. I felt like this had a lot of stuff in it to set up later chapters. I wanted to add more MadaTema fun, but it was getting kind of long.

Thank you so much for reading.

Thank you _Mari _and Crazyuser!I really did want to update sooner after reading your reviews. I really appreciate the kind words.


	6. The First Dance

**A/N:** I bring up the Shinju tree in this chapter. I know that the manga says it blooms in 15 minutes, but in this story it will take longer. I think he said it because 15 minutes is about 4 episodes and 7 chapters in Kishimoto war-time and any longer would require its own filler season.

I don't know much about dance and music so just go with the flow in that section and try to visualize it. You will have to fill in some of the blanks on your own, but I include the music I'm thinking of. I have some of the moves timed to the song. Let me know if it would be helpful to include when in the song a certain thing happens. You know like a small (3:44) to indicate at 3 minutes 44 seconds she starts to do whatever.

_Italics are thoughts._

And remember, this is all just for fun. Don't take it too seriously.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any music by anyone for that matter. If someone else owns it, you can bet I don't.**

* * *

That night was the first of Temari's chronic restless nights. She regularly woke up every few hours from dreams she couldn't remember.

The smell of cooking eggs brought from the bed to the kitchen. Zetsu had fixed her omelette rice for breakfast. It seemed that Zetsu and Z did all of the cleaning and if they wanted to cook for her too, she wouldn't protest. She thought about them possibly drugging her food, but so far nothing indicated that was likely. She would take her easy victories where she could.

She took a seat at the dining table and the zetsus sat across from her before informing her that her clothes for the day were now in Madara's room.

"Is there any way you could put a clock on the wall? Not having daylight is really confusing."

"That's on purpose, Temari."

"That's helpful. So what time is it?"

"It doesn't matter. You can change and practice your dancing again. Madara won't be down today and we want you to stay active." said Z.

"Is there a training room? No matter how much I train I'm not able to seal Madara, and it would definitely help me stay active."

"Just dance until you get really tired. The practice will make you better at dancing, and you'll use up your energy." followed Z._  
_

She saw the argument going nowhere and went to change into her black kimono. There was no mention of the purple collar as Z produced her red sash, and Temari surely wasn't going to remind them about it.

She decided to go to the library first.

Temari found what she guessed was supposed to be her section of the library. The books were all about cooking, hosting, and other stereotypically feminine domestic things she never found very interesting. She wandered over to the other books. Most of them were about history. Some were genuine original first-hand accounts of battles and fights while others were books about politics, geography, and trade. If she couldn't train her body she might as well train her mind, and she began to take note of which books she wanted to read.

She caught sight of the shogi set and smiled to herself as she thought of Shikamaru. Then she frowned as she remembered her circumstances. For one, no one probably even knew for sure that she was missing. Secondly, she was also positive that she never ran through his mind.

Zetsu slammed the door open jarring Temari from her thoughts. "We have some news for you Temari."

"Tomorrow is going to be an important day. We expect the fighting will be over and then you can thank Madara for winning." Z stated as he followed Zetsu into the library.

"Tomorrow is an important day for you. Madara wants to celebrate his victory. I wouldn't mess up if I were in your place." stated Zetsu.

"I guess even dead folks like a party. Other than dance for this frea- Madara and probably serve some tea, what else is there for me to do? Does he want me to blow up balloons and hang streamers? Tell him to bring down some of the bodies and I'll paint the place red for him."

"He wants you to prepare some food. He likes inarizushi."

"He doesn't even need to eat or drink anything! He's dead!"

"Just do it...or don't. The choice is yours. But remember that his day of triumph is yours too."

"Yeah, yeah." she added unenthusiastically.

"Are you clear on what you need to do?"

"The dances and inarizushi, which I have never cooked before."

"Well after you finish dancing come and talk to us and we'll get your clothes ready for tomorrow. As far as the food, there are cook books in here. He may also want some other food as well."

"And don't forget that you'll be eating too." added Z.

"It will be his first meal in quite a long time. If you need something for the meal, just ask us and we'll get it."

* * *

For what could have been no less than 5 hours Temari first tried to kick and slice open every chakra resistant/reinforced door in the place again and then she danced.

She ate some lunch before heading back to the library to look at the cookbooks. She found one she liked and saw that inarizushi took a long time to make. She decided that it would be easiest to make as much as possible beforehand and just finish things up tomorrow.

She prepared lots of rice and put them in different bowls depending on seasoning. Temari figured that other types of sushi would go well with inarizushi. Everything was ready so she would just have to roll, cut, fry, and assemble things tomorrow. It took her about 4 hours to finish everything but she would only need about 2 hours to finish everything before Madara came.

She saw a few sake bottles and was about to add them to the tea and water she was going bring in but paused. The thought of an inebriated Madara alone with her in a room made her hide one bottle under the kitchen sink and pour the rest down the drain. She did not want a riled-up drunk all-powerful dead guy on her hands, and she doubted that even if he did want sake that one bottle would get him drunk.

On her way back to the library she saw Zetsu and Z coming out of the wall next to a locked room.

"Zetsu, Z, what's going on up there?"

"We still need to work on your dancing outfits."

"And that concerns what's going on in the war, so just tell me."

"I don't see how that makes sense; however, Madara has defeated the kage, and now he's fighting Naruto and The Allied Forces."

"Are the kage still alive?"

"Yes. They were practically dead, but they are now all somewhat recovered. You wanted to know if your brother was still alive, didn't you? He may not be alive for much longer."

"Why?"

"He has joined the fight with Naruto: a very bad choice."

"Gaara and Shukaku have had a bit of a reunion, but Madara will have all of the jinchuriki soon." added Z.

Temari knew she couldn't trust everything Zetsu said, yet she hated the confidence in his voice. His last statement sparked a thousand questions in her. She wanted to know everything about Gaara and Shukaku, but she realized that Zetsu was not good with details. The best way to get information out of him was not to delve deeper but to ask about many different things.

"What about the other Madara? Is he still alive?"

"His name is Uchiha Obito and he's more me than him now."

"Obito? Madara mentioned an Obito yesterday. Who is he exactly? And what about The Allied Forces? How are they faring?"

"That's enough. We want to finish with you quickly so we can go back and watch." Temari was tempted to keep bugging them about it but she didn't want them to stop giving her any information at all.

"Since I have no way of telling the time and I don't know when to expect Madara, will you make sure I have enough time to get everything ready for him tomorrow? I need at least 2 hours for the food."

"Of course. Now about your clothes."

"Two of the dances are more traditional but I still need to be able to move. The third dance, as requested, is belly dancing."

"Well we're going to leave you alone for the rest of the night. Be sure to get some sleep."

"If you leave me a clock then I could know when it's getting late."

"Or we could just tell you when to go to bed." said Zetsu.

"We'll come back when it starts to get late. If you're not sleep by then, we'll let you know." Z and Zetsu merged with the floor and left Temari alone.

_Tomorrow _is_ an important day. If he actually comes out of this victorious, the way I behave tomorrow is going to have a huge impact on our relationship. And that is the only thing I can control in order to get what I want. Even if he doesn't win, I still may have to talk my way out of here._

Temari continued to the library to think things out. She pulled a collection of battle accounts from before the hidden villages were established but she never actually opened it.

_This is probably going to be the last big battle of the war, but I can't hear anyone in my mind from headquarters so I must be pretty far underground._

_Everyone is up there. I just need to give them a signal that I'm down here. Maybe if I yell…I'm not even going to pretend to myself that would work._

_Maybe the roots in the ceiling could help me somehow. I can try to pull them out which might leave a hole I could climb through or at the very least cause a disturbance above ground. The problem is that no one may notice it if everyone's looking a different way._

_Maybe there is a simple way out of here._ Temari went out to the big room and looked at all the walls. She had tested the walls the first day and found nothing. She looked up towards the tall ceiling. The ceiling was about twenty feet high. She stood on the dining room table and created a subtle but strong whirlwind to bring her to the ceiling. She began to systematically pat the ceiling trying to feel for any irregularities that could lead to a way out.

_I still need to prepare for tomorrow in case this doesn't work._

_I need to appear as if I'm on his side. But I can't seem too eager or he'll get suspicious. If I make him think that I really believe that I have no one but him, he should buy my change of heart. He's so confident in himself he probably already thinks I've started giving up on my family and friends. But no matter how much I pretend to be with him, I will never betray them._

_I can just be pleasant tomorrow. He hasn't asked me to do anything abhorrent. Thank goodness he hasn't tried to... ugh, I can't even think it. Maybe it's a good thing he's dead. I might have to be worried about a living man's...desires..._

Temari's whole body shivered in disgust at her thoughts.

_What are we going to talk about? I'd better make sure that I have some background music playing throughout the day. It'll help us both feel relaxed._

_I'll ask him what he thought of his opponents. I can ask him about the music, the food, and my dancing... I can ask him about his plans! It won't even seem like I'm prying._

_He probably hasn't had conversation in years. He_ has _been dead. He's probably feeling lonely and doesn't even realize it. That's probably why I'm really here. The old dead guy wanted to have someone to talk to after he puts everyone to sleep._

Temari envisioned a lonely Madara crying over his tea about not having any friends and couldn't help but to chuckle at the image.

"What's so funny?" Z's head unexpectedly appeared out of the ceiling between Temari's hands.

Temari's wind faltered and the table dropped halfway to the ground. "I was just picturing the look on your face when Madara gets sealed by my brother."

"It's time for bed, Temari. See you in the morning." She went back up to him and punched him in the face.

"You didn't have to make such a dramatic entrance."

* * *

By the time Temari went to bed Madara had forced Obito to fully revive him and he had become the shinju's jinchuriki.

Madara could feel every cell in his body surge with the power of the Sage of Six Paths. All he needed now was his left eye and his victory was practically guaranteed. On his way to Obito he coughed up the Benihisago and Kohaku no Johei, two of the sage's tools. One of which was used to seal away the Gold and Silver brothers. He didn't need them, but Madara appreciated history. As they fell to the ground he telepathically sent a message to Zetsu to take the tools to his underground armory.

Tenten recognized the tools as they fell on her two remaining teammates. Gai and Lee continued on as Tenten stayed behind. She wanted to take them with her. As she prepared a scroll to store them, two white zetsu clones appeared out of the ground.

Tenten jumped back and simultaneously released a volley of kunai on them.

"Just grab the items. We don't care about her." Zetsu yelled to Z as they both tried to dodge her attack.

Z was hit in the shoulder and upper thigh. He grabbed the Kohaku no Johei and quickly sunk back into the ground as Tenten started to unlatch her large scroll filled with weapons.

Zetsu quickly grabbed the Benihisago and barely dodged the thrown kunai and shuriken that followed.

When Tenten realized they were just going to flee she ran towards Zetsu and started to summon a weighted net. She flung it at him and would have had him if he hadn't merged with the ground at the same instant.

Tenten looked around until she was satisfied that they wouldn't return to the surface. She slammed her fist into her hand out of frustration. Not only was Tenten upset at having lost the tools, but she was confused. The zetsu clones had no interest whatsoever in confronting her. She knew they would lose against her, but it didn't make sense for them to turn tail in a fight that was numerically in their favor.

She had no way of following them underground but she would remember to mention this to someone when she got back to the troops.

Madara made it to Obito only to find that Obito had completely turned against him. Madara expected this moment. He knew that Obito was unreliable as long as Kakashi was alive, but a small part of himself was still hurt from Obito's betrayal. He knew that whether he won or lost that Obito would die.

He eventually killed Obito by forcing him to sacrifice himself for Kakashi and grabbed his left eye immediately after. Kakashi was so low on chakra that he could barely breath on his own. The only threats left were Naruto and Sasuke.

Naruto was revived through the efforts of the Fourth Hokage and some other shinobi while Sasuke was revived through a jutsu Madara thought no one knew but himself. The fellow calling himself Orochimaru had to die. Not only did he seem to know many jutsus but he was treacherous. Madara killed him the moment right after Sasuke's revival. He cut his head off with Sasuke's sword. Team Taka and Kabuto managed to escape Madara's focus and only suffered minor injuries.

Madara lamented at the disgrace that was Sasuke. After Madara berated him for his weak mind that had been obviously manipulated by many, he resolved to kill this last Uchiha once and for all.

Naruto and Sasuke looked at each other before staring down Madara.

"I'm glad you finally came back, teme. I almost gave up on you."

"Shut up, dobe. I'm still going to crush you after we kill Madara. I'm the only one capable of turning Konoha into the shinobi village it was meant to be."

"Look, Sasuke, I'm not going to even start this argument with you right now. I'm going to be Hokage and you can be my right hand. But if we don't kill Madara there won't be an argument because there won't be a village."

Naruto and Sasuke look at each other in a superficially confrontational manner. Both know that if they make it out alive they will forever be friends and rivals. Both true to themselves first and then to each other.

"Seeing you befriend that pitiful excuse of a shinobi and jinchuriki almost makes me ashamed of the Uchiha name. Sasuke, this is your last chance. Join me or die. I will eradicate you from this earth, and your destruction will be so complete that not even your family will know you in the afterlife."

Dawn began to rise behind the two almost causing Madara to squint. Sasuke chose not to answer him in words. He knew his actions would speak for him. He activated his Susano'o and Naruto created a nine-tails cloak that was almost as tall as Sasuke's Sage Susano'o.

Madara chuckled as he cracked his knuckles. He thought that maybe this generation wasn't as physically weak as he first guessed. He activated his own perfect Susano'o and charged towards Sasuke first: man before beast. He looked forward to testing himself against one of his own kind in Sasuke. He was also comforted by the fact that if he did indeed lose that the Uchiha power was still the best. That only another Uchiha had been able to beat him in the end.

* * *

Temari woke up from the light in the room. She rolled over to see a smiling Z. She threw her pillow at him and grumbled, "That is going to give me a lifetime of nightmares. Thank you, Z."

"It's time to get the food ready. After that, we want you to shower and wash your hair. We'll help you get dressed back in here."

"Did he actually win?"

Z's smile did the impossible and got wider. Zetsu's still watching but Madara's victory is practically in his hand."

Temari knew that practically was not definite. She still held out hope that the alliance would pull out a victory. "What happened to Gaara?"

"He's still alive."

As Temari got out of the bed she mentally went over everything she thought about the night before. If she really wanted to get Madara to think she was on his side she would have to start acting like she was on his side. And she thought a real celebration wasn't complete without a cake.

She found a cake recipe and mixed it together. While the cake baked she finished the inarizushi and some of the other sushi rolls. She decorated the cake as best she could and topped it with fresh fruit. She finished the rest of the food and made it all look presentable on some platters before heading into the bathroom.

She took her time in the shower to relax and get her mind together. She examined the clothes left for her and realized that they were what you wore underneath a nice kimono. She found an off white skirt and wrap shirt with a stiff, light green collar that didn't have a closure._  
_

Temari held the shirt closed and went to the bedroom.

Z got behind her and made sure the light green collar was low enough on her back. Zetsu handed Z a sash and he snuggly tied it around her waist followed by a bigger one.

Then he brought out what looked like a thin kimono. The collar was off white while the extremely long sleeves and skirt were a pretty light blue. Z tied yet another sash around her to keep the kimono in place.

Zetsu handed Z what looked like a very thick light lavendar scarf. He wrapped it around her collar and again tied it with another thin sash.

Temari was not used to wearing this much clothing, and she was ready for them to be finished.

"Temari, wrap your sleeves up so you can get them through this kimono." Zetsu pointed to the heavier kimono that Z was holding. It was a beautiful teal that faded into light purple around the middle with silver dragonflies. The sleeves were the same teal but had and purple and silver koi instead of dragonflies. The lining of the kimono was the opposite of the outside. The bottom was teal and turned into purple at the top.

"Isn't this kimono a little long?" Temari asked while Zetsu held it closed and Z tied another small sash around her lower down than the others.

"Oh no, it's just right. It's supposed to drag, it'll make your dance look prettier. It's also slightly open at the legs so it's easier to move in than a normal kimono."

"Be sure not to trip on it." suggested Z. _Like I need another thing to worry about. _Z tied another small sash higher up creating a pouch of fabric.

"OK, Temari next is the main obi." They then tied on another sash and finally started on the obi. It was very thick and heavy, but Temari had to admit to herself that it was beautiful. It was difficult to tell if it was actually silver or light blue. Z and Zetsu took almost ten minutes tying it on. The bow alone was something to marvel at. It had many folds and resembled a fan on one side and a smaller bow on the other, with lavender beads somehow tied into it and hanging from it. They tied a pink sash above the obi and stuffed the bottom down but left the rest showing. A lavendar obi cord over the obi finished the kimono.

"Am I finally dressed? Because that was ridiculous."

"You're so funny Temari only one more thing." Z brought out an uchikake. It was even longer than her kimono and had a thick padded hem. It too was light blue and had white foxes in a silver forest with sparse rust colored leaves. When it was all on she noticed that the layers parted slightly in the front would definitely allow for more leg movement.

"Isn't this a bit much? No one even wears an uchikake for anything other than weddings anymore. I know he's a bit old-fashioned because he's...just old, but do I have to sweat because of it?"

"It's beautiful on you. Now, we're almost done, and Madara's almost due." Zetsu motioned for her to sit on the bed while Z got out a bunch of kanzashi. Z put a metal fan-shaped one with metal tassels in one ponytail along with a small group of purple and pink flowers. On the other side was a rather large grouping of blue and green flowers accented with pearls. It dangled down the side but it stuck out far enough to not actually touch her face. He finished it off by putting two thin short lavender ribbons around her top ponytails and two large long lavender ribbons around the bottom ones. The tails of which went to her mid-back.

"Now we're done." Temari got up and hardly felt like herself.

"What about my Suna headband?" She tried out a few of her dance moves and luckily everything worked out. "And how am I supposed to carry everything across the room in this? I'm definitely going to trip all over myself."

Z said, "You won't have to worry about that. Everything's ready now, so go and meet Madara and try to have fun."

"We're also keeping your headband for a while. You don't need it so don't think about it."

Temari almost scoffed at the last remark but decided to let it be. She was going to have to let a lot of things go today. She walked in front of the entertainment room door and took more than a few deep breaths.

_I have to clear my mind. I've got to get him to trust me. I can do this._

Temari opened the door and then knelt to open the sliding door. She refused to look up at him until she entered the room and knelt to close the door. She stood up and finally looked over the room.

She let out a deep breath. It was the same room she practiced her dances in. It just had more food and one extra occupant. Temari looked at Madara and gasped when she saw his face.

Madara was not in his sage mode.

"You're not dead." She didn't know if she should feel relieved or not. He took a sip of his drink and didn't even acknowledge her presence. He was sitting at the table facing the stage area. She relaxed her shoulders, walked over to the end of the table closest to the door, and knelt to sit.

"Sit across from me. I want to be able to easily look at you. I also still need to put this on you."

Temari looked over to him and saw him holding the purple collar. _It's just a stupid collar, Temari. Don't turn it into something more. Just let him put it on you and move on._

She noted that he wasn't wearing his usual burgundy battle gear and turned her back to him.

She resisted the urge to put her fingers between the collar and her neck. He did her no favors, and it was just as tight as the first time she wore it. "This is to remind you that you belong to me."

"I _am _a person. You can't just turn me into some kind of pet." Temari's fingers grazed the collar.

"Would it help you if I added a leash? I've tamed beasts far more ferocious than you'll ever be. I've done it less than 24 hours ago, so don't test me."

Temari took her seat across from him. "Why aren't you dead anymore?" Her words came out in an accusing manner she didn't mean them to have.

"I will sate your curiosity only because you didn't skirt around the issue. I am fully resurrected. I am no longer just reanimated. I forced Obito to perform the Rinne Tensei. I am also not a clone."

_This changes everything. He can actually be killed now. If I can get him comfortable enough with me maybe I can _make_ him release me. I can't do anything too brash. I'll probably only get one chance and I have to get it perfect._

Madara noticed the effect of this information. Her posture straightened a bit, and her face slightly brightened. Madara knew she was thinking of a way to kill him and escape. He looked forward to it. He wanted to see what she would plan, and he wanted to punish her after it failed.

"Ahem, I made you some inarizushi. Would you like me to fix you a plate." Madara barely nodded and Temari put a variety of sushi on his plate. "This was my first time making it so let me know if it's good or not. Same with the cake."

Temari placed the plate in front of him and asked if he would mind some background music. He shook his head once and Temari went over to the music player. She put on some traditional Japanese shamisen and flute music on a low volume. She knelt back down and noticed he hadn't eaten. "Is there something wrong with the food?"

"I am waiting for you."

"I didn't poison it or anything. There's nothing to even poison it with." she mumbled as she prepared her own plate. She had absolutely no appetite and just got one of each item. After she ate a piece, he finally began to eat.

"So…" she put her chopsticks down and looked over at his plate. "I take it we lost." She stared at his plate because she couldn't stand to see any sense of satisfaction on his face.

"Why would you think that?"

"Why else would I be all dressed up like this? I feel ridiculous. You've won the war and- and now you're having your party."

Madara looked at her for a while before saying, "You do not look ridiculous."

He thought she looked empyreal. The colors seemed to fit her perfectly. It was easy for a girl to be lost in so much clothing, but Temari seemed to have a demanding grace that the clothing only enhanced.

"I'm just not used to all this fabric."

"You may not have to worry about that for too long. No, _we _did not lose. _We _won; the alliance lost."

"Oh. Is everyone already under the genjutsu?" Temari chose to ignore his first statement.

"No, not yet. I have to wait for the shinju tree to blossom, then it will be complete. The blossom will reflect my will on the moon and into everyone else. I expect it will be a couple of weeks but no more than a month."

"So _we_ haven't won yet, at least not completely. What happens if someone cuts the tree down or they sabotage the flower?"

"The Shinju has its own defenses. Destroying the tree is not the way to stop it."

"Then how could they stop it?" There was a long silence and Temari hoped that her question didn't seem too eager. She had to get him to believe she supported him. She looked up at him and she was locked in his gaze.

His eyes looked so alien to her. The color, the pattern, and their intensity were all too much. She tried to look down, but she was still trapped by his eyes.

Madara hadn't noticed her eyes before now. He found them radiant and dark at the same time.

He finally turned away and continued eating. Temari took a deep quiet breath and took a bite of the food she didn't want.

"How was the battle? Were your opponents worthy to face you?" Temari almost gagged at the blandishment, but she would do what was necessary.

"The Kazekage surprised me with his determination. There was also a strange-looking man in a unitard that really gave me a shock. He was much more powerful than I initially gave him credit for. I had to kill him, but he was...unique...I had a nice dance with Naruto and Sasuke. They proved a real match for me in the end... I must admit that I regret having to kill the only other Uchiha left, but he died a good death. It seemed to affect Naruto more than me even..."

Madara paused for so long that Temari almost interrupted him. "He does not take people sacrificing themselves for him very well. A good leader understands he is more important than the individuals he leads. He may never understand that. He cried over Sasuke's body... I'm not sure if he will be able to lead what remains of the troops. I did manage to kill off their Hokage. She was an annoyance I am glad to be rid of."

Temari wasn't sure how she should outwardly react to this news. She was glad to hear that Sasuke came back to the light before dying, but that was the only new good news she could glean from this new information.

"So Sasuke and Tsunade are dead...What are The Allied Forces going to do while the tree blooms?" Madara looked at the young girl next to him. She truly was young. There was nothing she could do against him and she still had hope. She was so harmless it was almost cute. Madara couldn't decide whether he should humour her or crush it this moment.

"They will probably try to defeat my plan for the world. They are not only weak but misguided as well."

"They are just trying to do what they think is right." Temari told herself before that she would not betray her comrades and she meant it. She waited uneasily for his response.

"And what am I doing?"

"Well, if you still plan on putting people into your dream world, I think you're doing what you think is best too. Since you won and they lost, I hope that you're right." Madara assessed her for a moment. He saw honesty in her statement and decided to see if she was as earnest in her actions.

"I would like to see what you have prepared for me. Your fans are along the wall." Temari nodded and walked over to the wall. As she picked up the large black fan she decided that she would continue to defend The Allied Forces whenever she could.

Her mind shifted to the dance she was about to do. Temari was not a professional dancer but she knew how to move her body. She took what Zetsu and Z said about Madara's appreciation for dance seriously. Each dance would have to be more than just a dance with this man, and this dance was going to glorify Madara's win.

The thought of celebrating Madara made her a little sick and she almost tripped from the sudden onset of nausea. She took a deep breath to settle her stomach and reminded herself that she had to do this if she wanted to accomplish anything.

Her brother never assigned her deep-cover missions and this would serve as her personal test. So many times she told him she was ready, but forsaking a part of one's self was harder than it sounded. And it sounded pretty hard to begin with.

Temari took another deep breath and closed her eyes. _Remember Temari, t__his is supposed to be a dance of triumph. Just focus on the dance._

[She chose to do a fan dance inspired by traditional fan dances to the untraditional song "Passion" by the Yoshida Brothers. ( you tu .be / 4qQL7srF3cs -just take out the spaces.)]

She started in a traditional bow with the fan closed in front of her and raised her head for about the first 20 seconds of the song. The song starts slow but it quickly picks up speed. Temari moves slowly and follows the simpler count in the song.

She slowly rises into a forward lunge, allowing for the kimono, holding the still closed fan in a lateral position pointing forward. She turns her head to each side while moving her free arm smoothly and gradually out to the side. She begins to smoothly and slowly open the fan. By the end of the first minute the music calms and she's still crouched in a lunge, the fan mostly covers her from her nose to her knee, and one arm is still straight out to her side.

She dramatically uses her eyes to look to each side before meeting his. She brings her back leg forward to stand up straight. The shamisen picks up again and she quickly flips the large fan in the air where it turns once and she catches it with the same arm behind her. It frames her body and she begins to do traditional footwork and hand gestures with the fan. She's moving at a more traditional medium pace against the fast music but the tempos find each other and it works.

Half way through the song the mood changes. She begins to do more tricks with the fan while increasing her speed and widening her gestures in opposition to the song. The kimono helps her movements seem graceful. She uses the long sleeves to accentuate the traditional gestures and moves. She begins to match the music's beat and stays with it while keeping her movements large.

She then does a quick succession of fan tricks to emphasize some of the dramatic beats in the song before going back to her unhurried pace. She ends holding the fan completely open with both hands and the fan leaning towards her before she gently closes it and kneels.

After a moment she rose and placed the fan back against the wall. She wished that she didn't have to go back and face him, but she had no choice.

She started to take off the outer robe before turning away from the wall when she sensed his presence behind her. She stopped moving and felt him take the uchikake off for her.

"Thanks." She continued to face the wall until she heard him sit at the table again.

They both sat there looking down. She looked at her plate and he looked at the robe he still held.

Madara made her dance to impose his control over her actions and reinforce her compliance. And if she did a laughable job or if she tried to seduce him, he took joy in the chance to humiliate her.

However, Temari's dance was not what Madara had expected. He expected some shamisen music along with demure movements. Coy eyes looking away from him. A dance about butterflies or falling leaves. Instead he was confronted with fast new music and bold large movements. Her dancing had a sense of strength and poise he did not foresee. She looked like a warrior.

"Tell me about your dance. The one you just did."

"That was your dance. I made it for you." She looked up at him and found that he was still looking at the robe, so she continued, "From the bit of your fighting style I was able to see I figured that you alone dictate your pace. In the middle of a battle you could probably still yourself and make things go how you want them to go. While everyone else is frantic, you would be more like a calm storm. That's why I often danced at a different, but complimentary, count to the music. And it's also why I used the black fan. I guessed that the fan symbolized your new world."

"I am glad you're not a fool." Temari wasn't sure how to take that last statement so she just said nothing.

"Are you aware of the Kyubi and the power it holds?" He started to trace the design of the robe with his fingers. "Yes, of course, you were quite familiar with the tanuki demon, the Ichibi. I have only met the Kyubi's jinchuriki recently, but the Kyubi and I have a long history. I am the only shinobi alive who is able to summon him and force my will upon him. He was a great feat and something I am still very proud of."

Temari knew that he was probably at the brink of sharing more about himself with her than he ever had with someone who wasn't his family, and she wanted him to keep going.

"Is that why there are foxes on the robe?" He looked over to her without meeting her eyes.

"You probably haven't heard all the stories I have about foxes, you coming from the land of the tanuki, but most magical foxes were thought to be white. There are many stories of foxes tricking men and playing on their desires. They are capable of both good and evil." After a moment of silence he pushed the robe aside.

Temari decided to not push the issue. She recognized the importance of what just happened. He was actually starting to converse with her. "Do you like the food?"

"It's fine."_  
_

"Do you ever want me to fix it for you again?"

"Probably."

She slouched a little. "Did you actually like the dance?" Madara's face had not changed since she entered the room. No frowns or slight smiles. She was having a hard time figuring out how he felt.

"Yes."

"Good. It's not like _I_ had a choice, so at least one of us got some enjoyment from it."

"I enjoyed it. I'm sure the next two will be just as entertaining for me."

Madara reluctantly admitted to himself that he really did look forward to seeing her dance again. He was starting to see that perhaps there was more to this kunoichi than his need to put her in her proper place. He was beginning to question where her proper place should be.

"What are we going to do while we wait for the tree to bloom?"

"We are going to prepare for when it blooms. I am going to meditate and support the tree. You are going to learn how to live with me and to appease me." Temari felt a pang in her chest. She did not want weeks of _this. _She felt an impulse to get up and run out of the room. She held it in and stood up.

"Madara-sama, I'm feeling tired. I'm guessing that this is lunch and we'll meet again for dinner. I'm not sure what time it is, but you can just have Zetsu come find me." She turned to leave the room.

"I didn't say you could leave. The alliance will not be an issue today and I plan on spending time with you. We will finish here and then you will have a couple of hours to yourself before we meet again for dinner. I didn't realize that you were so feeble as to be tired from one dance." Temari didn't take his bait and returned to her seat.

"Fine." Temari seemed like a petulant little girl to Madara and his annoyance spiked.

"Madara-sama, how does the tree protect itself? How does it stop people from just cutting it down?" Madara calmed himself and looked at her.

"I will not explain it all to you, but I have allowed the tree's roots to take chakra from anyone who gets too close to it. The tree is also infused with more chakra than anyone in this world has seen before and it will not be very affected by chakra based attacks. It is also far too resilient to just be cut down by an axe."

"I see. The Shinju is the Jubi, right?"

"In one of its forms, yes."

"Is the Jubi like the other biju?"

"In what sense?"

"Are you the Jubi's jinchuriki?" Madara gave Temari a strange look and was silent for a moment.

"I have allowed you to speak freely far too much. I admit that your voice is not as annoying as most women's voices but I still have my limits. I want to see your next dance."

Temari stood up and loudly mumbled, "I guess I was right, jinchuriki."

[Temari did the same type of traditional inspired dance to a song called "Kakusei" by a group called Hayate. Kakusei in this instance could mean awakening. ( you tu. be / nerhpPdKImA -just take out the spaces.)]

She set up the music, grabbed the two silver fans and once more returned to the platform. She tucked one fan in her obi and bowed before standing with her back towards him. The music takes off from the start. She starts with the fan closed at a medium pace. She turned to the side looking up using her arm and the still closed fan to emphasize the direction. She continued with traditional movements. Her moves were regal, traditional, and uplifting for the first forty seconds. She remembered how she felt knowing that all of the reanimated kage were finally sealed.

Then the songs's tempo changed. She began to lower herself and turn in all directions. Her moves became slow and wary. She finally opened her fan and faced Madara. With another small change in the music she began to lift her fan laterally over her head. She did a few twirls with the fan as well as some more traditional fan moves. She tossed the fan and brought out the second one as it dropped ending with an open fan in each hand.

She moved her hands and feet at a moderately slow pace but kept the fans moving quickly with the slight aid of chakra. She used a lot of the stage and made sure to turn in all directions. She began to favor one fan over the other eventually closing the other against her hip. She continued to dance but would sometimes purposefully falter. She closed the other fan three quarters of the way and ended the dance facing Madara with a barely open fan held out towards the side of the stage.

She placed her fans against the wall and once again felt Madara's presence behind her. Temari started to turn around but Madara grabbed her face from behind effectively pinning her to him with his other arm loosely around her arms and waist. Temari calmly asked, "What are you doing?" Madara squeezed her and told her not to fight him.

"You didn't think that I would let you get away with saying that jinchuriki comment, did you? Not after it was clear I wanted you to be quiet."

"You never actually said to- mmph" Temari was more than surprised to have cloth stuffed in her mouth. She started to push out the foul-tasting wad of fabric when Madara covered her mouth with his hand.

"After seeing you dance, I decided to not stuff your mouth, but you have a way of making me upset. You will learn to speak only when I want to hear you. Keep your mouth open, and don't push it out." Madara moved his hand and tightly tied a thick cloth between her lips.

Temari let out a muffled frustrated sigh at her new situation but quickly stiffled it. Madara began to move his hands down her neck and lingered around her collarbone. He could feel her muscles tense at his touch.

"I haven't really felt another person since I've come back. It feels so...warm. You..." Temari had stopped moving. She stopped breathing. She was hyper-aware of his hands. She could feel every twitch in his fingers as one hand started to slowly move into the low dip of her collar down her back.

Madara stopped himself and pulled away from her. He relished in his body's new sensation while fighting, but he almost forgot about the other things that could make his skin dance and blood surge.

He brought her here to humiliate her for his amusement. A way to pass the time. Before now, Temari was someone to literally just keep around and terrorize. Now he was starting to see her as something else. He still wanted to degrade her, but he liked how he felt so close to her. Madara hadn't expected Temari to bring these feelings of excitement out of him.

Madara was a very patient man and he would get everything he wanted in time. He was determined that her defeat, his entertainment, and his excitement would all be gotten.

"Go sit down. You can talk once I decide I can tolerate your voice again. And cut me a slice of that cake."

Temari's heart was pounding, but she kept her composure as she sat back at the table and cut him a slice of cake. She could only imagine how ridiculous she looked with a gag around her mouth cutting cake. _I can't believe I've been reduced to literally quietly serving Madara. He seemed to get mad when I discovered he was the Shinju's jinchuriki. I probably wasn't supposed to figure that out. All right, Temari, you just have to be a bit sneakier. I have to stay away from too obvious questions about his possible weaknesses._

"This is really good. I don't like the frosting, but I do not think I would like any frosting. I would like you to have a dessert always available for lunch and dinner." He looked over to her. "Do you understand me?" He could see a flash of what looked like annoyance go through her eyes before she nodded.

He finished his cake and looked back at her. He almost smirked at the anger conveyed by her eyes and clenched fists. "It's no use being angry. We all have to deal with life's little ignominies. Yours are just going to be more numerous from now on. If I were you, I would start getting used to the feeling. Don't Suna shinobi go through some form of emotional training? Use it now."

Temari almost didn't stop herself from slamming her fist on the low table. "Hmmpfh." _I don't think they covered dealing with crazy ex-zombies. OOOHHH I could hit him I'm so angry!_

"It is 2 o'clock, and I am done with this meal. Zetsu will come in and wrap all of this up for lunch tomorrow. You can figure out what we'll eat for dinner in the meantime. I'll expect it around 8. I do not like leftovers so prepare accordingly. Z will stay with you."

Temari's hands flew behind her head to untie the cloth. "Stop. You have nothing to say until I see you again. Keep it on, or I will have even more fun with you later."

Temari stood up as angrily as she could and gathered herself before proudly raising her head and exiting the room.

* * *

Sorry it's so long. I felt like this had a lot of stuff in it to set up later chapters. I wanted to add more MadaTema fun, but it was getting kind of long.

Thank you so much for reading.

Thank you _Mari _and Crazyuser!I really did want to update sooner after reading your reviews. I really appreciate the kind words.


	7. Unaccounted For

**A/N: **This story is becoming a bit more involved than I first thought, but that's OK with me. I hope it is with you too.

_Italics are thoughts._

* * *

Gaara flew on his sand away from the dawning sun over the quickly erected encampment. He was proud of the resiliency of the troops. They had practically lost the war, but they were still pushing on. He then looked up at the towering Shinju tree, a constant reminder of what was to come if they failed, and remembered all they had to lose.

He spotted the large tent that was serving as headquarters and lowered to attend the first meeting of many for the day. He looked over the remaining kage. Tsunade was no longer with them and Onoki was so injured that he didn't even complain about being carried in on Akatsuchi's shoulders. In addition to the remaining kage were Mifune from the Land of Iron, Kurotsuchi, Darui, C, Shizune, Sakura, Naruto, Shikamaru, and Kakashi who was laid out recovering on a stretcher. Everyone sat around a large oval table in the center of the tent. A map was laid across it and other than an almost bare stand-alone bulletin board the tent was unfurnished.

Gaara was the last to enter. He acknowledged everyone and felt Baki and his siblings' absence. Baki had stayed behind in Suna; however Kankuro and his division were on their way to the encampment. They would meet with Sai to use his birds to get here as quickly as possible.

Temari had not tried to contact him yet. They were just beginning to get things organized and that was the reason for this meeting. It was easily possible that news about the meeting hadn't reached her or that she was just busy with something else. Gaara couldn't fathom anything that she was doing that would be more important than this meeting, but he trusted her judgment.

Onoki started, "I know that no one is in high spirits, but we have to do our best to keep morale up. There will be time to properly mourn our dead once things have settled, but first we need to reorganize, re-strategize and cut that damn tree down."

Gaara quietly stated, "We all agree with you, Onoki. But before we try to cut anything, down we need to know where we stand and where we're going."

A stood up, "That's the purpose of this meeting. Tsunade is no longer here so let's start with the medical division. Shizune, please begin."

Shizune stood. "Yes. The medical division is doing better than expected. With the loss of Tsunade there is a great reduction in our ability to heal large numbers at once during battle, however if that situation presents itself Sakura and Katsuya will do the best they can.

"We are currently making sure that our elite ninja storage scrolls are all accounted for as well as storing anyone else who has died. Most of our resources are going towards healing the injured. Many are suffering from severe chakra exhaustion which will mostly just take time to heal."

A ensured her, "We know how hard it must be for those of you from Konoha, and we appreciate your professionalism."

Shizune bowed quickly before sitting, "Thank you."

"It will save us time to save the individual division reports until later after they report to Gaara. Otherwise, Gaara what do you have to add."

Gaara clasped his hands in front of him and looked more solemn than usual. "I'll have more to add later. I do have some tasks for our division commanders, but I'm wondering what we should do about Kakashi."

"What do you mean?" asked Mei.

"Kakashi was designated as the next Hokage after the incident with Danzo. Until Konoha has a chance to regroup and meet with their council, I think we should treat Kakashi as the acting Hokage. Are there any objections?"

Everyone turned to the many shinobi from Konoha. No one spoke up as they all looked away from the table and towards the ground. Naruto finally raised his head and said, "Kakashi-sensei has my support." This seemed to be what they were all waiting for and everyone else instantly looked resolved.

"I don't know if I'm actually able to be Hokage at the moment. I can hardly stand."

"You will regain your full strength in a few days at most. I think we all saw that you were pivotal in this battle, and you're the last Sharingan user left in The Allied Forces." Sakura informed him.

Shikamaru added, "I don't think anyone will have any sufficient objections especially because it's just temporary."

"OK, I accept this responsibility until we are able to return to Konoha."

"Let's get down to business. We need to come up with a strategy." yelled Onoki.

"What have we tried on the tree so far?" asked A.

Onoki answered, "We know that trying to attack the roots is useless because there are too many and they grow too fast."

"They also literally try to suck the life out of you." mumbled Shikamaru.

"Right, so nothing that takes too long at a short range." stated A

Naruto looked up, "What about my Rasenshuriken? I don't have to get close and it will obliterate it."

"Couldn't that work? It is a tree so it can't dodge quickly. It also can't throw those beast balls like the animal form. I think we should try it." said Sakura.

Mifune quietly asked, "What if it doesn't work? Should we have back-ups ready or wait and come up with something after it doesn't work?"

Shikamaru shrugged his shoulders and said, "More theories and strategies won't hurt us. How long do we actually have before the flower blooms?"

Gaara said, "We're not sure, but I think we have at least a couple of weeks. I heard Madara say something like 'Enjoy the next few weeks they may be your last.'"

"I heard him too." added Naruto.

"So if we strategize for a week we'll have at least a week to try things out. Maybe even more time if it's anything like a normal plant." said Shikamaru.

Kakashi looked towards Shikamaru, "Shikamaru, at some point talk with Ino and get her opinion on this plant."

Mei asked, "Onoki, what about your dust techniques? Shouldn't that do something to the tree?"

Onoki shook his head. "It should. But we are talking about the Shinju tree here. This tree is not going to go down easily or without a fight."

Kurotsuchi stood up to emphasize her point as she stated, "Yes, we need something other than just attacking the tree."

"We have to get to Madara." agreed A.

Mei interrupted, "We don't even know where Madara is."

A countered, "We can get all of our sensory types left on that job. We have to find him."

"Madara is probably holed up in an old Akatsuki base." said Onoki.

Kakashi asked, "What about Kabuto? He might know something. Karin Uzumaki also has a unique sensing ability."

"We have to find both of them then." said A.

"What are we going to do if we can't destroy the tree?" asked Mifune. No one had a good answer for him so no one answered. They all looked to one another hoping that someone had a solution until Onoki spoke up.

"I don't think now is the time to discuss that. We can all think about it, but we should be focused on how to win not how to deal with losing."

Kakashi added, "I agree. We have to focus on our victory. We also can't have the troops thinking about defeat. They have to believe we have some sort of a plan."

A forcefully stood up, "Enough. Gaara, meet with the division leaders next. Kakashi, I think at some point you need to meet with your Konoha shinobi. You and Onoki also need to rest and heal. I want both of you to get medical attention straight from Shizune. Mei and I are going to take a tour of the encampment and try to contact the Daimyos. Mei, can you keep Chojiro with them instead of having him meet you here?"

"Chojiro's a good boy. I'm sure he can handle it." said Mei.

"Everyone is dismissed." A along with Mei and Onoki on Akatsuchi's shoulders exited the room.

"Everyone who is not a division leader is welcome to stay. Shikamaru I will need you and a top Yamanaka here. C, can you please stay as well. I believe that you are a sensory type, correct?" Shikamaru nodded and left the tent.

C looked towards Gaara, "Yes, Kazekage-sama."

"Good. Does anyone know where Kitsuchi is?"

"Yeah, I'll go get my father." Kurostuchi said already half-way out the tent.

"If Aoba Yamashiro is alive bring him here. Can one of you do that?"

"He is alive. I can go get him."

"Thank You, Naruto." As Naruto left Kankuro entered. He looked around and acknowledged everyone before going to his brother. Kankuro's face did not reveal the relief he felt upon seeing Gaara but the pat on his brother's shoulder in greeting gave Gaara the message.

"Gaara, sorry I'm late. We didn't run into Sai for quite a while. What did I miss?"

"I'll fill you in later." Gaara waited a few minutes and when everyone except Shikamaru returned to the tent and the meeting began. "I would like to congratulate you all on a fight well fought. This has been an incredibly short war, but also an incredibly difficult one. Not just physically but psychologically as well. I had to face my father. I can only imagine which other resurrected shinobi others had to face." Kankuro's eyes squinted in thought at the mention of his father. He definitely had a lot to discuss with Gaara.

Shikamaru entered with Ino and Santa Yamanaka. They nodded to everyone as Gaara continued.

"Everyone needs to account for everyone in their division by 10am tomorrow. That will be our next meeting. Kakashi, I would like you to stay the leader of the Third Division but could you please appoint someone as your proxy and inform me tomorrow. Naruto, until then, could you cover Kakashi's duties?"

"Uh…yeah, Gaara, no problem." Naruto straightened his back. He wasn't listening well before and realized he would have to from then on.

"We also need to set up a recovery team for those who are missing."

"Gaara, shouldn't we figure out if anyone's missing first?" asked Kankuro.

Gaara answered, "Yes, but we should have a team ready to deploy tomorrow after our meeting. It will save time. Kankuro, I want to ask you to lead this team, but we may need your division if we locate Madara. Does anyone have any suggestions?"

Kakashi said, "I think Santa Yamanaka would be a good person. It will only be a temporary division and then afterwards he can join the sensory division or come back to the Third."

"Any other suggestions?" Gaara looked around at everyone and ended on Santa. "Santa, do you accept this appointment?"

"Yes, Kazekage-sama."

"Collect a team today and have them ready to leave immediately after our meeting tomorrow. Inform them that this will be a temporary division and they can return to their original assignments after it disbands." Santa nods his understanding.

"Aoba Yamashiro, would you accept Inoichi Yamanaka's former position as head of the Intelligence Division?"

"Yes."

"Any objections? Good. Ino Yamanaka, you were able to communicate in a manner similar to your father. Would you be able to continue doing this?"

"Yes, Kazekage-sama."

"Ms. Yamanaka, please begin reporting to both Mifune and Aoba? C, will you accept Ao's former position as captain of the Sensor Division?"

"Yes, Kazekage-sama."

"You and Aoba will work together. As soon as your divisions have been established begin looking for Kabuto, Karin, and Madara. I would imagine Kabuto and Karin will be easier to find so start with them.

"I'll be sure to notify the other kage later today of everything we decided. If there are any objections, I'll let you all know. Along with everything I've given you to do I would appreciate it if everyone also thinks about possible ways to win this war. Are there any questions? Then I will see you all soon."

As everyone began to leave Gaara quietly asked Naruto and Shikamaru to stay behind. They both sat back down. Naruto looked down at his hands while Shikamaru just seemed tired.

"Shikamaru, thank you for all you've done. A lot has been laid at your feet and you've accepted it all. I know you're still suffering from chakra depletion and the death of your father, so I want you to just focus on our strategy. I will account for everyone in the Fourth Division. Please do what you do best tonight."

Shikamaru didn't know what to say, so he didn't say anything. He scratched the back of his head and gave Gaara a deep nod.

"Naruto, I know you want to be the Hokage, but I hope you understand why I suggested Kakashi. I've noticed how you're feeling and I want you to know that I have confidence in you. When you get back to Konoha I'm sure you will have a good chance at being the next Hokage."

"Gaara…" Naruto lifted his head and they all saw his tears. "I failed everyone. So many people died...I DIED! I'm afraid everyone's going to resent me. This war was to protect me, and I couldn't even protect them."

"Naruto, you will be the best Hokage Konoha has ever seen. I'm sure of it. Everyone believes in you. I do not have many friends and I do not know what to say to comfort you; however, I will always be your friend. You can always talk to me. I will listen and be there for you."

Shikamaru sighed, "We all believe in you. This war was not just to protect you. It was to protect everyone. We were all at risk. I don't want to die yet, but I would to protect you. I'm not going to sit here and convince you how I and your peers feel about you. You just need some time to process everything. Why don't you go talk to Hinata?"

"Why Hinata?"

Shikamaru groaned, "It's good to know that whatever you go through, you'll still be Naruto."

"Huh? Shikamaru, you never make sense."

Gaara asked Naruto, "Are you feeling a little better?"

"Yeah, but I think I am going to talk to Hinata if Shikamaru thinks it'll help. He's a genius so he should know." Kankuro poorly stifled a snort and looked towards the ceiling to avoid everyone's gaze. "I should talk to Sakura too. I'm sure she's upset about Sasuke."

Shikamaru looked at Naruto one last time before starting to stand, "Jeez, Naruto…Gaara, is that all you wanted to say? I'd like to take a nap."

"No, actually there was something else…Shikamaru, have you- have you seen Temari?" Kankuro's and Shikamaru's eyes widened simultaneously. Kankuro noticed she wasn't at the meeting, but she also wasn't a division leader. He didn't realize she was actually missing.

Shikamaru dropped back into his seat. "No, but I haven't seen a lot of people. It doesn't mean anything. If I do see her, I'll send her straight to you. If it's urgent I can ask Ino to send out a message-"

"No. As you said, there are many people who we haven't seen. Informing a lot of people that I'm looking for her would just make her upset. Thank you, both of you."

Kankuro could barely contain himself until Naruto and Shikamaru left. "There's a lot you need to tell me, Gaara."

After Gaara filled in Kankuro on what he missed at the earlier meeting, Gaara set out to account for the people in his division while Kankuro began searching for Temari.

* * *

Temari couldn't believe her life. She had a foul-tasting wad of cloth stuffed in her mouth and a tight gag keeping it in. The fancy kimono she was forced to wear was making her sweat and the extremely tight collar around her neck was unbearable. She almost ran into Z on her way from Madara.

"Why Temari, I love this new look on you. Would you like a cloth that matches your outfit? Then you'll look really cute."

Temari growled and punched Z in the face. She stepped over him and went towards the library. "Ow, you didn't have to punch me. It's not my mouth that got you in your present situation." He stood up and followed her to the library. "Come with me so we can get you out of that kimono."

She changed into her black kimono with a red sash and took out the hair ornaments. "I put a few cookbooks in the kitchen for you. When you're done cooking, you'll shower and then change for dinner."

Temari went out and unenthusiastically browsed through the cookbooks. _I have to get out of here. I can't believe that I'm trying to figure out what to cook Madara for dinner. Is this what I have to look forward to for the next few weeks, figuring out what to feed him and how I should dance for him? Is this what I have to look forward to for the rest of my life, my world revolving around HIM?_

_Isn't this exactly what I wanted to avoid in my life, being someone's…? I can't even call myself a housewife. Thank goodness I can't call myself a housewife. But what am I? A slave? Some kind of servile companion?_

Temari threw the cookbook in front of her as far as it would go and brought her hands to her head. _OK Temari, get yourself together. This is war._ _While my comrades are up there fighting, I'm down here fighting. I'm just fighting in a different way. I'm fighting by…cooking this man's dinner and dancing for him._ She slammed her fists on the table and grunted. _I am_ _stronger than this! It's not like I don't cook at home. This is no different..._

_This is completely different. No one forces me to cook back home. If anything, _I_ force Kankuro to cook for us. He does eat the most. I miss them so much. They wouldn't even recognize me like this. _Temari rubbed her eyes, cleared her head, and decided on tonjiru for dinner. When she finished, she called for Z to remove her collar and went to shower.

Cooking had surprisingly occupied her mind enough to have a calming effect on her. She tried to do the same in the shower but washing her body only reminded herself of the belly dance she would have to do.

Temari had never danced in front of a man before today. She thought back to when she learned how to dance. Her father had forced her to take ballet to give her more grace. It was because of ballet that she learned how to belly dance.

The classes were full of civilian girls and, though none of the girls actually liked her, she was always invited to their parties and sleepovers. Their families invited her with the hopes of either gaining her father's favor or of not offending him by excluding his daughter. Either way, Temari got invited and Baki always forced her to go. He thought she needed to socialize with other females.

At first she was miserable. Everyone would cater to her and be extremely polite. Then it morphed into them just ignoring her. She would end up sitting at a table in the back of the room waiting for an appropriate time to leave. That is until one family hired a professional belly dancer for their daughter's twelfth birthday party. All of the parties had belly dancing but not usually a professional.

Temari remembered all the girls and their mothers dancing and having fun. They formed a circle and each took a turn in the middle. The hired belly dancer went around showing them new moves and helping with their old ones until she noticed me in the back of the room. She walked over and grabbed my hands.

"What's wrong? Are you afraid you can't dance? Come on, that's why I'm here." Before Temari could even get out an answer or protest she was pulled out of the chair and thrust into the circle.

She tried to leave, but the girls delighted at the chance to embarrass the Kazekage's daughter. If she got mad at them and told her father, the girls all figured they could just blame the hired dancer. Thus Temari found herself trapped inside an impenetrable circle surrounded by laughing faces and a persistent woman whose hands kept going to Temari's hips.

She had watched them all dance many times before and figured that she could do a quick move and then crawl back to her corner. Sadly, she wasn't as bad as everyone expected and they encouraged the professional to give her more help.

Ever since that party some of the girls took it as their mission to not only somehow force Temari to dance with them, but to also take pleasure in deriding her moves. Temari figured the best way to get back at them was by being better than them. What could be more upsetting than being outshone by the girl you hated?

Temari would sneak and practice her dancing when everyone was out of the house. As far as she knew, only girls danced this way and she didn't want her brothers, Baki, or her father catching her.

Temari almost laughed at herself as she remembered the satisfaction she felt from showing those girls up. Then she remembered who she would be dancing in front of this evening and any good memories she had were squelched.

She dried off, put on the bathrobe laying out for her and fixed her hair. She entered the bedroom to find Z putting out some clothes for her.

"Hi Temari, let us know when you're dressed. We'll come back in to make sure you're ready. I'll change your gag now though." He moved behind Temari and removed her wet gag. He gave her a wad of purple cloth to put in her mouth and tied a black cloth around her head to keep it in place. "You're going to look so cute." Temari gave him a look that could cut and pushed him out the door.

She put on the long dark lavender cotton gypsy skirt and pulled a similar black skirt over it. The top was a black demi-cup bra decorated with many silver charms and coins. There was a large silver amulet hanging from the center with small chains dangling from it. There were chains that looped from the bra and hung on the side of her torso, and those chains had a few long charms on them too. She squirmed as she waited for the metal to warm to her body temperature.

She tied a wide ornate purple and silver sash around her hips. Long strings of fringe that hung down to her calves were interspersed with shorter multi-colored tassels and charms. As she opened the door to leave, Z and Zetsu burst through carrying a lot of jewelry and dumped it all on the bed.

"Now we're going to finish you off." Z bent over and started gathering her skirt and hiking it up.

"Mm mmm!" Temari tried to back away from Z but Zetsu held her in place by her shoulders.

"We're just making it easier for you to dance." Z stuck the gathered part of her skirts in her sash and waistline and created an extremely high slit over her right leg that revealed itself when she moved.

"Hmph." _I'm pretty sure this is not going to make it easier for me to dance._

Z attached a couple of wide ornate silver cuffs around her upper arm that had looped chains hanging from them similar to her top. Zetsu started putting a headpiece on her with a large ruby in a flat diamond-shaped ornate silver setting. Curved silver metal netting came from the sides of the diamond and connected in the back. The top of the diamond-shaped setting was held in place a by a small metal chain that ran along the center of her scalp to the back of her head. He then placed large fake purple flowers in her ponytails.

Z was putting numerous silver bracelets on both of her arms and wrists when Zetsu grabbed one of her ears. "Hmm." _I am so sick of these people touching me._

"I'm surprised your ears are pierced."

Zetsu held up a pair of turquoise teardrop earrings before pushing them in her ears. "Hauu!" She tried to yank her arm out of Z's hands but he had a surprisingly strong grip.

"Don't make a scene, Temari. We're almost done. There are just a couple more things."

Temari groaned and pushed Z away. Z clucked his tongue as he grasped her hand. "Don't get tired of us just yet. You still have a long, long time with us." He placed a ring on each finger that had a thin chain connected to a large flat pearlescent stone that lied on her hand. Two small chains came from the stone and connected to a silver cuff bracelet with matching stone inlay. He let her hand go and went to place one on her other hand.

Temari moved her hands to test the reach of this strange bracelet and found that even though it didn't impede her movement it was distracting. Every time she moved her hand or even a finger she could feel the give and take of the little chains.

Z then bent down and grabbed her ankle so suddenly she almost fell over. He put a pair of matching silver cuff anklets with more of the pearlescent stone inlay. She was thankful that the anklets weren't the type with little bells on them. She already made a little noise when she moved from the other metal on her and she didn't want bells to add to it.

"Now you're ready, Temari. It's almost 8 so just go in."

Temari walked out of the bedroom and felt bare. She felt decorated, and all of the feelings she had earlier before cooking dinner came flooding back. She started taking deep breaths and paused in front of the outer door of what she deemed the entertaining room.

_You can do this. No matter what he does to you, you will always be Temari, a person. I am not his doll or his toy or…his. I am me. Even though I'm doing the things he wants me to do, I still have my own agenda. I hate him. I hate that I have to do this…Think of the war. What is your mission? My mission is to defeat Madara, stay alive, and get out of here._

* * *

Kankuro and Gaara were both noticeably upset when they met each other that evening. Gaara had not only learned Temari was in fact missing, but that many people were also missing. Kankuro was upset because no one seemed to know anything about Temari, and he couldn't understand how anyone could _not _notice his sister.

The last time anyone remembered seeing her was when they were still fighting the Edo Tensei shinobi. Matsuri remembered seeing her fight Madara along with the rest of their division. Gaara remembered seeing her right before the kage began to fight Madara. Kankuro only found one person who remembered seeing her soon after the kage and Madara began battling but nothing after that.

"Have you talked to Ikuo? He's the one in charge under Temari." advised Gaara.

"I did, but I think you should talk to him. There was something about what said that caught my attention. He said, and I quote, 'I don't know where Temari went.' Who said she '_went_' anywhere? Not to mention everyone else was confused and surprised that I was asking about Temari, but he almost seemed to be expecting me. I think he knows more than he's telling."

"Kankuro, that doesn't make sense. Why wouldn't he tell us everything we need to know? Do you think he harmed Temari?"

"I don't think he could touch Temari if he tried his hardest. I just think that he knows more than he's saying. Maybe he saw her hurt or something and didn't help her. Maybe he let her die. But he knows _something._ I'm almost sure of it."

Gaara did not look forward to intimidating another village's shinobi into giving him information about his sister. He would have to figure out a way to handle Ikuo, but in the mean time, he had a lot of other people to find as well. "Tonight we'll go through the medical scrolls to cross-check my missing shinobi list. Then tomorrow you're going with Santa's recovery team to find Temari and bring her back. Let's just pray she's not in a storage scroll somewhere or worse."

* * *

Temari deeply exhaled and knelt to open the sliding door. She could smell the soup she cooked and stood to walk to the table but stopped. Madara was standing before her with his arms folded. The oppressive power he emanated still managed to startle her.

His eyes slowly shifted down from her face and she could feel the heat rise to her cheeks. Her hands twitched at the impulse to cover herself but she stopped them. Instead, she proudly raised her head and straightened her posture. She had nothing to be ashamed of and she would not let him turn her into some blushing little girl.

Madara took her in visually and sent Zetsu a telepathic message to procure more belly dancing outfits. He liked them on her. Her body was much better than he expected. She was clearly toned but she looked soft in all the right places. Madara began to wonder how soft she would feel as his eyes went from her chest to her abdomen.

Temari struggled to keep her breathing even and to not show that she felt Madara's gaze upon her. He unfolded his arms to reveal the purple collar in his hand. Temari knew he wanted to put it around her neck and started to walk over to him. The subtle change in his face as he saw her leg come from beneath her skirt would have gotten a swift kick from Temari in any other situation. But she knew a kick at Madara would not be worth the anger that would come after.

He kept his distance as he tightened the collar and removed her gag. "Don't make me use this again. Dance and then we'll eat."

It had been so long since Madara had seen a girl belly dance that he didn't really care if Temari was good or not. He did care about her effort, and he expected much from her in that regard.

He also realized it had been a while since he could look at the female form for as long as he pleased. Maybe things would have been different in the shinobi world if he had left his own blood legacy in the world. But leaving a legacy admits mortality, and Madara wasn't ready to consider a true death in his first life.

He watched Temari walk to the music player then over to the platform. He could feel her tension. The Suna girls he remembered had always been sweet, cheerful, and a little guarded. He acknowledged they also could have been that way because they were hoping that a notable Shinobi from a fertile land would come and take them away as his wife.

He tried to think back to the Suna kunoichi he encountered and couldn't remember coming face-to-face with any of them. He thought back to some of the things he would hear his clansmen and other shinobi say but it was all a vague memory. He remembered the sense that they were all emotionally distant…or maybe they were all distance fighters, or maybe they were both. He didn't pay much attention to the conversations back then and it didn't really matter anyway.

Temari looked out to Madara the moment before the music started. She knew the key to any kind of dancing being effective was emotion and that was about all she had right now. The dance would fall flat if she didn't convey her feelings and she knew that Madara would see everything. His eyes seemed to miss nothing about her. She had no choice but to let some of her emotional guard down while dancing. She turned her back to him as the first notes started.

[The song she chose was "Bir Demet Yasemen" by John Berberian & Bob Tashjian you tu .be / k21Gss1vTyg just take out the spaces. The dance is filled with hip and chest movements along with very graceful arms. Just imagine belly dancing.]

Temari picked a song about unending grief and she had no problem imagining the feeling. She started with her back to Madara and her arms down. She kept her arms slow and hip movements deep and dramatic. She eventually faced Madara leading with her hips and keeping her head facing the side as long as possible. She finally faced him once the lyrics started and she found her movements came easily. She kept everything solemn and slow for most of the song. She seemed to be searching for something and never finding it. About three minutes into the song she begins to flutter her hips along with the music and move around more. Her hips, stomach, and chest move faster for a while before the lyrics start again. She slows, but she's not as slow as before. Throughout the song she has avoided Madara's eyes and continues to do so. She ends the song in a slow turn and lateral hip movements facing away from him.

Madara was pleased with himself as he watched her sit at the table. He knew he had a talented eye, but Temari was truly a lucky find. He knew nothing about this girl before taking her, and he was satisfied with himself for picking such a magnificent girl on a whim. She was attractive, talented, and her dance was better than the ones he remembered.

Those laughing, smiling girls of the past were interchangeable. Their moves were all the same. They teased and tantalized with their bodies. Temari did much more than that. She communicated her despair. And whether she wanted to be or not, she was more tantalizing than anyone he'd ever seen. He was ready to escalate their interactions and he knew that would scare her.

He wanted to scare her. He imagined her face emoting against her will. He imagined her body twisting and curving in an effort to escape.

She pushed a bowl of soup towards him and served a bowl for herself. He watched her eat and avoid his eyes. He knew she felt uncomfortable but Madara was only concerned with himself. He didn't consider himself so low that he would take what was meant to be given, but he began to wonder if this situation was different than normal. He wasn't a random man looking for a quick thrill, too lazy to approach a woman, or put off by a woman's rejection. He was Madara Uchiha, and he did nothing below his name.

He doubted that Temari would willingly consent to the many salacious thoughts going through his head. He didn't particularly mind that she wouldn't consent to some things, but he had his own concerns. He could keep pushing her boundaries and testing her reactions. He decided that if he didn't hear a clear protest from her he would choose to remain outwardly ignorant to her more subtle objections. Until then there was no reason to stop his hands or eyes. He played with the idea that maybe she wanted him. He knew he was attractive and many women had tried to captivate him in the past.

He wanted to know more about the girl that finally fascinated him. He wanted to know who and what ran through her blood.

He remembered that Suna had an interesting tradition when it came to names. They never gave out their whole names. If they could get away with it they wouldn't give you any name. He didn't know if they had secret clans or if clans just didn't matter in the desert. They were either very private or very philosophical in their idea of identity. Madara knew that he would look more into Suna's history tomorrow, but tonight he would just see what Temari had to say.

Madara had finished half of his meal by this time, and Temari began to think that if their meals always went this way she wouldn't mind them. That is until he broke the silence.

"Tell me about yourself, Temari. Other than what you think I know."

"Am I actually allowed to talk freely? I don't want to say a sentence too much and wind up gagged all night."

"You have already said too much, but I won't gag you tonight. I don't want to wake up in a pool of your drool." Temari hid her reaction at the reminder of her sleeping arrangement. She had almost forgotten that she was expected to share a room and bed with him. _But a sleeping Madara will be easier to threaten. If I could get a wind blade close enough to his neck I could make him release me. But should I really do this tonight?_

Madara saw her almost imperceptible reaction and smiled to himself.

"There's not much to tell about me that you probably don't know. But, I'll say it anyway. I'm the Fourth Kazekage's eldest child. I have two younger brothers, and one of them became the Fifth Kazekage. I use wind and a giant tessen, my fan that caught you when we briefly fought. I'm a jonin and I had a wonderful life before you showed up."

"I know all of that. Now tell me more." Temari held down a grumble and continued.

"I've completed 42 missions."

"More." Temari figured that Madara wouldn't stop unless she said something unrelated to being a shinobi.

"I like kenchin soup, and I don't like things with lots of wiggling limbs. I like the color purple. I like looking at and learning about flowers. I really like my current hairstyle even though it's been the same since I was 5. I don't have many friends but I love my brothers very much."

"Do you have any other family?" Madara put aside the many comments that came to mind about her statements. He had more important things to question her about.

"They are the only two still living. They are…very special to me. Did you have any siblings?"

"Yes, but I want to hear about you not about me. What do you know of your other family? Was your clan always small?"

"Why the interest in my family? Is there something I should know?"

"What have I told you about answering my questions and questioning my actions? All you need to know is the answer to my question." _Oh shit. Dammit, Temari, you can smooth this over. I don't want him angry when I have to sleep near him._

Temari bowed her head. "I'm sorry, Madara-sama. I forgot. I won't forget again. You told me to always answer your questions and to not question what you do. I won't do it again. Give me a chance to answer your questions." Temari hadn't humbled herself in front of someone like that since…ever and she prayed that she was believable.

Madara knew she wasn't sincere, but he also wanted to let her off easy. "Proceed."

Temari kept her head bowed as she answered, "I don't know much about my other family. I believe we are somehow related to Akasuna no Sasori and the Honored Siblings, Chiyo and Ebizo. There may have been some relation to the first Kazekage. I personally think Kankuro is related to the second. They both have a fondness for theatrics. Honestly I could be related to many people and not know it. We don't keep track of things like that. We don't have clans."

Madara mulled that last sentence over. Most of his life revolved around his clan and he had a hard time imagining a life as someone who didn't have those ties. Did it offer a freedom he couldn't comprehend? He wondered on what it meant in terms of his actions. Without a clan to lead there would have been fewer expectations, fewer fights, and fewer responsibilities. But without his clan, there might be no Sharingan and there may be no Konoha. He knew he liked the power his clan granted him and being born as _someone_ had its advantages in the world.

No, he appreciated his clan but he did begin to think about those without one a bit more.

"How do you feel not knowing your history?"

"I never viewed it as not knowing my history. I know a lot of history. I just don't know my blood heritage. I don't think I'm missing much by not having a clan except having even more responsibilities imposed on me." She paused and quickly looked up at him before looking back down. "Did you like many of the people in your clan?"

"I loved my clan. They were all very important in my life. If you know a lot of history, what do you know of Suna? You clearly don't know much about Konoha."

"You're right. I don't know nearly as much about Konoha as you. I don't even know as much as I would like about your clan. Or any clan. Or clans in general. I think clans just promote infighting, isolation, and distrust within a village. However, Konoha seems to be handling clans well so I'm probably wrong." Temari could have sworn she heard a snort come from Madara but she knew she had to be mistaken.

"As far as Suna's history, I know as much as I could find out about Shukaku. I know he's always lived amongst the sand. I don't know where he originated though or how he exactly relates to your Jubi.

"I know about our past kazekage and a bit about our history before Suna existed. We were a country of both nomads and sedentary peoples. We spoke different languages and had different customs until a foreign traveler visited each group and gave certain worthy people a gift. He was also seen as kind of a priest and would teach about solidarity in the need to survive and the importance of simultaneously keeping an individual mind amongst a group. I think it was said that his followers were the most powerful shinobi. It's definitely why our leaders seem to have extreme philosophies. We all think too much.

"This was the basis of everyone eventually coming together. When people started working together life became easier in the desert and everyone's lives got better. But there were so many different types of peoples that distrust and fighting eventually appeared again. Therefore it was decided to rid ourselves of the reason to fight amongst ourselves and only focus on outsiders like Konoha."

"Hmm…I rather like history, Temari. But I don't ever remember hearing about a wandering foreigner in the Land of Wind. Where was he from?"

"I don't know. I didn't find a lot written about him. I saw a reference to a reference of his three children though. So I guess he had three kids." Madara made a point to himself to look up this foreign traveler.

"That song you danced to was interesting. Wasn't it in one of the old languages?"

"Yes. Our father and uncle made sure we knew all of the old languages. No one speaks them anymore but our father was so strict we all still remember them."

"Tell me about the song." Temari coughed when she thought about the possible consequences of that question.

"The song was in an old language and I think the song itself is really old. It's about…basically it's about being separated from a love one. The wound will never heal and the pain will never cease as long as they're separated. All he has is a bunch of jasmine to remember him or her or them."

"You like flowers. What does jasmine mean to your people?"

"Just because I like flowers doesn't mean I know everything about them. I'm not from Konoha where they're everywhere. I do know that it's sometimes used by temples. And it generally means love and that kind of thing. Sometimes women use it to accessorize as well."

"So the song is about a lover that's gone?"

"Possibly. There are a lot of possible interpretations. That's part of the song's beauty." Madara wanted to ask her more but he felt it was getting late. They had finished dinner and were just talking. It felt nice to talk about something other than war. It was even nice to not play a mind game with Temari for a while.

He stood to leave and Temari stood a moment later. "I'm going to take a bath and then I'll probably get some sleep. It's been a while since I've actually slept and I look forward to it." He reached over and barely grazed her waist with his finger. "Especially with something to keep me warm at night." He almost missed her sharp intake of breath but it was enough to satisfy him. "Until later."

He left the room leaving a stunned Temari. She looked down at the table and called for Zetsu. He was there in an instant cleaning off the table. He also informed her that Z was waiting for her in the bedroom.

She met a smiling Z and suppressed the urge to hit his face. "Hi Temari, did you have a nice dinner?"

"Sure."

"Here are your pajamas. And you get a choice. Do you want me to tie you up or Madara?"

"Excuse me?"

"Really Temari, you ought to get your hearing checked. I said-"

"You." Z left her to change and told her to open the door when she was ready. Temari started to undress when she noticed the pajamas were not hers. She continued to undress and then put on the black satin boxer shorts that went about two inches past her rear. The top was short-sleeved and buttoned. It was black satin as well with pink piping and very snug.

She made sure to button every button before opening the door for Z. "Why am I not wearing my own pajamas?"

"These are better. Now just lie down on the bed and please don't give me any trouble. Madara wouldn't be happy if you did." Temari lay on the bed and noticed the small bag Z placed on the bed. "Turn around and lay on your stomach with your hands behind you."

Temari hesitated. She had been tied up down here before but she was knocked out. There was something about doing exactly what Zetsu said that felt very wrong. She quashed the feeling and did as he said. She had no better alternatives that she could see.

She knew she was getting bound because Madara would be a fool to trust her enough to sleep next to her without some precaution. She felt Z buckle the leather cuffs around her wrists and lock them in place. She could feel the chain between them was less than four inches long. Then Z put a long chain that led from the one on her cuffs to the back of her collar.

"All done. Just wait here for Madara. It's OK if you fall asleep; just remember stay on top of the covers." Temari turned around as Z closed the bedroom door. She tested out her restraints and found that there was no way she could maneuver her arms in front of her or use her chakra. She also couldn't curl her back well. The way Z latched on the cuffs prevented her arms from bringing her hands closer to her neck in any way.

_What am I going to do now? I knew it wouldn't be easy. I've got to get out of here! Now that Madara's no longer a corpse I've got to move quickly. He's probably sitting in the bath now thinking about the things he could do to me._

_My biggest obstacle is figuring a way out. Even if I killed or incapacitated him, I'd still be stuck in this cave condo._ Temari looked towards the door. _I thought I heard him coming. Now I'm getting paranoid._

_Think! Think! THINK! Maybe I'll ask to spend more time with him. He might give something away and I definitely won't find out anything while he's sleep or watching me dance. I'm just going to have to spend more time with him. _Temari didn't know how long she laid there but it seemed like hours to her. She started imagining sounds and expecting the door to open at any moment. She wished that she could fall asleep before he came to the room, but there was no chance her mind would calm enough for that.

* * *

After Madara left Temari he went to the library to plan his next day. His first priority was to figure out what the Allied Forces were going to do. He doubted they would give up and accept their fate. He also didn't want to underestimate them. Firstly, he didn't want them to find out he was right beneath them. He also needed a way to listen in. Zetsu was out because Naruto could easily detect him through negative feelings and there was no way Madara wouldn't be detected in the same manner.

The simplest thing to do would be to erase Temari's memory and release her under a jutsu that would unknowingly make her report information to Madara. It would be perfect and subtle. Not even she would suspect herself of being his spy.

It would be perfect if he wanted to let her go. Madara was having too much fun with her to even think about letting her go for so long. And there was no way he would erase her memory of their time together. He would have to find another way. He also needed to make sure a certain set of siblings didn't spend too much time looking for her.

Madara figured that with enough time and energy someone could figure out what happened to her. He didn't need those shinobi above ground to make this battle any more personal than it already was. If a time came when taunting them with his find became useful then that's when he would do it.

_Zetsu, where are you?_

"Here." Zetsu appeared out of the wall and went over to sit in front of Madara.

"I know you aren't my original Zetsu, but I can still find value in your council. How should we prevent them from finding us, and how do you think we should infiltrate the alliance?"

"Well, there are two shinobi I know capable of finding us. Naruto and Karin Uzumaki. There's nothing we can do about Naruto and he's not a definite. But Karin would definitely be able to find us if she tried hard enough."

"Then you know what you must do."

"Should I bring her down here, or kill her."

"..."

"Well you brought Temari down here. At least Karin would be useful. She's an Uzumaki sensor and she has Senju blood in her. If you do the horizontal tango with her the child has the possibility to get your Rinnegan eyes."

Madara made no pretense at containing his anger. "You know nothing. I have no desire to make any babies with anybody. And I definitely wouldn't want to make a child who may one day be_ as great as me_ especially while I'm still around. If I create a child it will be for a purpose and he would be different than me and may one day be _greater than me_. Otherwise, what's the point?

"She also seemed...off."

"Temari's definitely 'off' too. So should I bring her here, or kill her?"

"..."

"Got it. She's dead. As for infiltrating the Allied Forces, we could try the same thing that helped us the first time…"

"Now I remember why I keep you around. Good job, Zetsu. Now, go kill Karin Uzumaki." Zetsu began to leave the library when Madara stopped him. "It's time to kill Temari too."

* * *

Temari heard the door open and tried to quiet her mind. She was on her side facing away from the door and most of the bed. She felt the bed give as Madara got in.

He reached over and pulled her shoulder towards him so she was lying on her arms and back looking up at him looking down on her. She saw his eyes trace her figure before they traveled back up from her legs and paused at her midsection. She tried to stay as still as possible. She almost didn't breathe.

"This was a mistake." He hastily scooped her in his arms and brought her to the shallow pit of pillows and blankets at the far end of the room. "You'll sleep here from now on."

"What? Can you at least put a blanket over me?" But Madara was already out the door. Temari didn't want to think about what caused that strange behavior, but she could relax a bit more knowing that Madara wouldn't roll over on top of her at any time of the night.

She tried to wait for him to return but soon fell asleep. Madara did eventually return to his bed and was amused to see that Temari only managed to get a blanket over her legs.

He fell asleep almost immediately in a dreamless sleep; however, every time Temari woke in the night he did as well.

* * *

**A/N: **So Madara... Well Temari's confused but as long as she's not harassed she doesn't mind. Next chapter will deal more with how Madara feels about Tema. He has some weird thoughts about her as you can see and they're only going to get crazier.


End file.
